Tousan?
by sadistic-neko
Summary: Kanda is sent on a mission only to find a little girl is the exorcist that the innocence that he was sent to find is compatible with it. Once he returns he is assigned as her guardian by Kaomui along with Allen. Will this be too much for them? Yullen
1. Chapter 1

Sadistic-neko: Hi everyone! I am happy to say that I am actually coming out with something that isn't Yugioh and wasn't co-written by one of my friends when we were high on sugar!

Allen: Well, it's nice of you to write a story about us.

Sadistic-neko: KWAII!!!! (squeezes Allen in bone crushing hug) You're even more adorable in person!

Kanda: (glares and rips Allen away from author) He's my moyashi bitch!

Sadistic-neko: of course he is! I wouldn't want it any other way!

Allen: (pats Kanda's arm) I know I'm yours. (gives Kanda a quick peck on the cheeks)

Kanda: (Hns contently)

Sadistic-neko: Do you guys want to help me with the disclaimer?

Both: Why not?

All: Sadistic-neko does not own -man and we hope you like her newest story!

Tou-san?

**Kanda POV**

Walking off the train, I gave a quick glance at the town that I was sent to. From what the crazy scientist that was the head of the Black Order branch I was stationed in, otherwise known as Komui Lee, was able to tell me, there had been reports of a monster in the area. We were also able to confirm that akuma had been gathering there.

This was my first mission since the incident with the Noah and Alma Karma. I wasn't nervous, but I just wanted to get the mission done and over with. I was all the way out in the middle of nowhere and it seemed unlikely that I would find innocence in a run down little down like what was before me.

"Kanda, sir!" I heard called out and I looked in the direction the voice had come from. I was greeted by the only finder that I didn't have the urge to kill most of the time, Toma. He was wearing the typical garb of a white tunic and had most of his face covered. "Have you been well?"

"Hn," was the only reply I felt obliged to give. It wasn't like it mattered since he was used to my monosyllable responses anyway.

"I see that you are as disagreeable as ever. The inn that we're staying at is not too far from here. Would you like to go there directly or gather some information first?"

"Take this to the inn," I said, throwing him my stuff. "I want to get to know the town better before any akuma can attack."

"Of course."

With that we went our separate ways.

The town was just as pathetic as it looked from the station. No, it was even worse than I had first thought. Even the most extravagant buildings were dilapidated huts that barely counted as houses. It disgusted me to have to be stuck in that dump of a town.

Be that as it may, though, it was still a mission and I was going to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. After all, completing missions, killing akuma and finding innocence was all that I was created for, if you could call it that. Those damn scientists did bring me back to life for that reason at least. So I could be their little puppet soldier.

I was pulled out of my musing when I felt the presence of someone coming towards me. As inconspicuously as possible, I inspected the fool that thought it wise to try and sneak up on me. He was a lanky man that wouldn't stand a snowball's chance in hell if he were to jump me. At least, if he were human. Working as an exorcist for as long as I could remember taught me that nothing is as it seems.

On minute, there was a man stalking me, looking as though he wanted to attempt to mug me, the next it was a giant sphere with a human's face, a reverse pentacle on its forehead, a gun pointed at the back of my head. Before it could shoot, I had my innocence, a sword by the name of Mugen, out and sliced it in half. Not even a second later, all of the huts around me exploded as other level one akuma sprang from them and surrounded me.

A quick scan of the area told me that I just so happened to be in the shitiest place possible to fight, so I ran. Destroying any akuma that got in my way, I weaved in and out of debris and searched for anything that could be innocence. With the number of akuma that were around, there was a good chance that some really was hidden somewhere close by. They always gathered around it by order of their creator, the Millennium Earl.

I had been fighting for, at least, a good twenty minutes when I went to turn a corner only to find that it led to a dead end!

_Shit_ I thought as I skidded to a stop. Figures that I would get caught with my back to a damn wall while I was trying to map out the town in my head so this wouldn't happen. I swore that the moyashi's bad luck was rubbing off on me.

Killing off as many akuma as I could, I finally created an opening, and was going to use it to use Mugen's first illusion and take out the wall that was blocking my way and destroy any of the abominable creatures that so happened to be in the way. I raised my and, just as I was beginning the swing that would bring forth the attack when I heard a sound that caused me to change my method of attack and took out the creatures that were closest to me.

The sound was that of whimpering. It was so small that it could only have come from a child as the dust cleared, I could make out a flash of blonde hiding in a large crack in the wall. Knowing that there was no way that I couldn't just let the kid die, especially if it was because of being crushed by some ruble that I caused to collapse, I positioned myself in the best way that I could to protect them.

At last, after I didn't know how long, I could no longer see any enemies and sheathed Mugen, slowly making my way to the child that was still shivering in their hole. The crack was large, but only if you were about the size the kid was, so I couldn't reach them.

"Come on, kid," I said, honestly trying not to scare them. I wasn't sure hoe successful that was. "The bad things are gone now. It's safe to come out."

"N-no," came the scared little voice that I assumed was female. "They're still here."

I didn't even have time to question her on what she meant before I felt the pain in my abdomen. Not even bothering to look and see what had run me through, I grabbed Mugen and swung at whatever it was that attacked me from behind. The swing came up just short of some kind of tentacle like appendage covered with my blood. It disappeared in the shadow of some building.

"Kuku," I heard the maniacal cackle surrounding me. I couldn't place it, but it was so loud and low that the earth beneath me. The moyashi and his damn cursed eye would have _really_ come in handy right about then. I closed my eyes, trying to find the source of the annoying as hell laughing.

"Aaaaaaah!" I snapped my eyes open again and felt my blood begin to boil as I saw the little girl flying through the air courtesy of the tentacle thing wrapped around her ankle. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a level two akuma sprung forth out of the ground.

"Well, well," the filthy thing said, obviously trying to mock me. "What a cute little girl. Just look at her adorable terrified face!"

I bit back a growl, fighting every nerve in my body that demanded that I pull a moyashi and let my emotions govern my decisions. The little bastard thought that it could get to me through a little girl? Ha!

I was doing a good job keeping my composure too. That is, until she began crying and gave me the most desperate, pleading look that I had ever seen with the biggest, greenest eyes that you could imagine. It almost undid me, but I lost it when the beast hit her.

"Shut up you little brat!" it yelled. Those were its last words. I couldn't remember how I killed it. All I knew was that it crossed the line and pissed me off to the point of no return and next left of it was dust and the little girl was in my arms crying her heat out into my chest. It didn't take long for her to weep herself to sleep.

It was then that I was able to get my first good look at her. She was a strange, yet, in a way, beautiful child. Her hair was matted and dirty. The tangles were so severe that it seemed that it had never been introduced to a comb. The only thing that was covering her slender, too light frame was rags that, even at their best, they wouldn't have done much to protect her from the elements. All of this left me to believe that she was all alone.

Her face still had the remnants of baby fat and seemed cherubic. Every feature was soft and there couldn't have been two square inches of skin on her that wasn't covered in dirt and grime. She couldn't have been more than four years old.

There was something odd about her though. At first, I couldn't quite put my finger on it, so I examined her again, more carefully. It hit me like a bag of bricks.

_Damn it!_ I thought, cursing in my native tongue too. It was so obvious!

On her little fingers, her nails were long and pointed. A quick poke proved the tiny claws to be wicked sharp. I could see elongated fangs peeking out from where her mouth hung limply open as she slept. She had to be an exorcist, chosen by innocence. There was no doubt about it.

So much made sense now. The reports of the "monster", the increase in akuma in the area and the reason she was in a crack in the wall all had to do with it. The akuma were after her innocence to see it she had the heart and the villagers were afraid of her because she was different. She was in a crack in the wall because she probably lived there. It wouldn't be surprising if she was like Leenali, whose parents were just gone, of, worse, like the moyashi whose parents abandoned him as soon as they saw his arm.

I was pulled out of my contemplations when she shivered. It was getting dark out and was also cold, which was to be expected of late November. Taking in her meager outfit again, I shrugged out of my coat the best I could while still holding her and wrapped her in it. I still had a long-sleeve shirt on and was made to pretty much be able to hardly notice extreme heat or cold, so I was fine without it.

Knowing that everything that the damn mission called for was done, I began venturing back to the populated area of town, making sure that the girl was carefully covered so the townspeople wouldn't freak out. I couldn't help but wonder of this was good of bad for her. Being a child exorcist was traumatizing and, more times than not, led to a life of nothing but pain. She would have to risk her life constantly in a war that she probably wouldn't really understand.

Even though she would have to go through that hell, she would have a home. She would know why she was different and be around other people just like her. Food, medicine and clothes would never be a problem any more either. All I could think about was what the moyashi and Leenali went through, and my own past. Was taking her to the Black Order really for the best.

Figuring that I was getting nowhere with such thoughts, I shoved them aside, contenting myself with the fact that she would be taken care of. Komui wouldn't be stupid enough to send her on solo missions until she was older and there wasn't a single exorcist that wouldn't take care of her if they were paired together. I would make sure of that. I was antisocial, but I wasn't a total barbarian that would let a child as small as her get hurt if I could help it.

Trying to just clear my mind and return to my typical emotionless state, I continued my journey until I ran into Toma just outside of the inn. It looked like he was just leaving to search for me. He was surprised when he noticed the bundle in my arms.

"Kanda?" he asked. "What's that?"

"What we're looking for," I answered simply. He gave me a look of understanding and held the door open for me, rushing us to the room I was to stay in. Once inside, I put the girl on the bed and Toma locked the door.

"She's an exorcist?"

"The innocence chose her. I would say that she's also the monster that the villagers were talking about too." I looked her over again and walked to the door, unlocking and opening it. "She looks like she hasn't had anything to eat in days. You watch her while I get some food. We can't have her dying before we get back to headquarters."

I didn't even wait for him to answer before stomping out of the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Sadistic-neko: Hi everybody! I would like to thank everybody that's reading this for giving me the best turn out that I have gotten for a story's first chapter yet! Sorry it took me so long to update. I was at my grandparent's house for a while, helping take care of their dog and enjoying the sights, then I got sick and had to finish a project after that.

Allen: At least the chapter is up now. Though I would love it if you put me in soon. (glancing over new chap.) Awwwww! Kanda is so cute in this!

Kanda: (glares at author viciously) You're a real bitch, you know that?

Sadistic-neko: But I'm a bitch that just wrote something that has your moyashi declaring how cute you are!

Kanda: True. I guess I can forgive you.

Sadistic-neko: Yay! Well then, (turns to readers) I do not own -man, but I hop that yall enjoy the new chap!

"Um, sir?" the trembling woman in front of me asked. "Are you sure that you want all of this food?"

"Yes," I growled for maybe the fifth time. "I want all of the damn food."

I didn't know what the hell the people had against giving me the damn food that I had ordered, but was really pissing me off. It wasn't like they weren't going to get paid for it. You would think that they would be jumping to sell the amount of food that I had ordered.

"But, sir," the woman began. Finally at the end of my patience, I grabbed her by her collar and pulled her up to my eye level. There is a high possibility that she pissed herself when I glared at her.

"I understand that it's a whole hell of a lot of food, but that really shouldn't matter, so get your ass back there and get it. Understand?" As soon as my grip on her loosened, she bolted in the direction that was opposite me. At last she returned with a huge luggage cart filled to the brim with food.

"H-here you are, sir." Not even bothering to give her my usual answer of "Hn" I grabbed the cart and began dragging it back to the room.

By the time I got to the hallway the room was in, I was cursing the fact that I got so much. The kid had better be grateful that I was putting up with all that shit. After all, the only reason that I even got so much was because I figured that she had a parasite type innocence, like the moyashi. If she did and her appetite was anything like his, and if she hadn't had anything to eat in long as it looked, then there was a high possibility that I didn't get _enough_.

"Ow!" Now, I was not expecting to hear that coming from the room. Just like I wasn't expecting to hear the crashing noises either. Leaving the food cart, I threw the door open, scanning the entire room at once in search of enemies.

The only thing I saw was Toma sitting in a corner, clutched his hand, which had blood running down it. I could also see several scratch marks running down his face and arms. Where they came form was a mystery to me until I noticed that there was a hissing noise coming from right behind the door, exactly where the finder was staring.

Leaning over and looking around it, I found the little girl crouching there, fangs bared in the hiss that I heard. The mystery of Toma's injuries was solved as soon as I noticed that the girl's hands had turned into paws, the little claws that I saw on her fingers earlier now longer and more vicious looking. Her ears had morphed and took on a feline appearance.

"Kid," I called out. My little effort was rewarded with her gaze turning to mine. I was surprised as hell when she jumped at me and threw her arms around my waist. It became even more awkward when she began crying again. Having no idea what to do, I just let her get whatever was going on with her out of her system.

After about ten minutes, the kid finally stopped. Toma was still bleeding like hell, but he seemed calmer too. I sighed, knowing that what I was about to ask would probably just end up annoying the hell out of me.

"Would one of you two mind telling me what happened?" The little girl tensed and Toma looked at us in awe for a moment before gathering his wits about himself again.

"I stayed in here and was watching over her, as you had requested, just before you opened the door, she woke up. I tired to help her sit up, but she freaked out, activated her innocence and attacked me. I think that she was just scared." From the way she tried hiding behind me, I assumed that he was right. I had no clue as to why Toma, a guy that I hear from the exorcist norm to be one of the nicest guys around, that wasn't threatening and was, apparently, good with children would scare the shit out her and I, a man that she saw ripping akuma apart left and right earlier, was the one she went to for comfort. Oh well, to each his own, I guessed.

"Just get those treated and report to Komui, I'll handle the kid for now." Not needing to be told twice, he gave me a quick nod and dashed out the door. Once he was gone, I looked down at the bundle that occupied my lap and sighed. I was no good with children and, of course, the kid just had to pick me as the person she warmed up to. "Come on kid, get off. Toma is gone now. Even if he wasn't, he wouldn't hurt you."

She looked up at me hesitantly and slowly crawled off my lap. Once my legs were free again, I stood and began towards the door the get the cart of food I left out in the hallway, but was stopped by a small hand latching onto my pants leg. The little girl had a death grip on it and I couldn't move since her innocence was still activated and I _really_ did not feel like walking around with a hole in my pants. Nor did I feel like mending them.

"P-please don't leave," she damn near begged quietly. "Please."

"Look kid." I honestly tried not to sound half as irritated as I was and somewhat comforting. "I'm just going to step out into the hallway so I grab the food I left there. It won't even take me a minute, okay?"

"O-okay." She let go of my pants. I took in her still terrified expression, how her hands were shaking at her sides, and grabbed my coat, wrapping it around her and picked her up. Ignoring the surprised squeak that she let out, I situated her on my hip and, after double checking that no part of her innocence was visible, I carried her out into the hallway, grabbed the cart and dragged it into the room.

"Eat up kid," I said, dropping her on the bed, taking back my coat and put it on the back of a chair. I watched as her gaze flicked suspiciously from the food to me before she snatched one of the rolls and gulfed it down almost whole. I knew those actions very well. They were of a person that has had food taken away from them many times. "No one's going to take it away."

Again, she looked skeptical, but the pace that she ate slowed down considerably. She had the cart cleaned out in no time. Knowing that I had to figure something out about her to give to Komui when we got her back to headquarters and that I had to let her know what was going to happen to her, I shifted the position I had taken when I sat down while she was eating.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I no have one. Mommy and daddy no give me one before they left me." I could feel my hands clench into fists. She was a small child and her _parents_ had just her on the streets to die without even bothering to care enough to give her a name! Taking a few deep breaths to get my temper under control so I wouldn't scare her, I continued the little interrogation.

"Since I can't just walk around calling you kid, I'm going to start calling you Neko, understand?" she nodded. "How long have you been by yourself?"

"Me been alone as long as me can remember." I had to fight back another wave of white hot fury. The sick bastards!

"Do you know how old you are?" she shook her head no. figuring that I may as well let her know that we were taking her away, I got up and walked over to her, kneeling to her eye level to aid in knowing if she was understanding what I was going to tell her. "Well, Neko, Toma, the guy you scratched earlier, and I were sent here to get you and bring you to where we live. You won't have to live in a crack in the wall anymore and you'll have all the food that you want. I can even think of a couple of people that would just love to take care of you, though I would stay away from the guy with glasses and a weird hat if I were you."

"Will you be there?" she looked up at me with those wide, watery green eyes, so filled with hope. Something about those bright orbs, still holding the pure innocence that only a child can possess despite what she went through, made me not want to disappoint her.

"Not always. I will have to leave sometimes, but I promise that you will be taken care of." Then, without warning, she jumped me, clenching little fistfuls of my shirt and bawling. For the first time though, they were tears of joy, not sadness or fear. I felt something in me stir. It longed to hold this child and assure her that everything was okay now.

"Thank you," she sobbed. There was no stopping it after that. What ever it was that demanded I take care of the child finally won over and I hugged her. I didn't know what she was doing to me, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

For a while, we just sat there. Neko was still bawling her eyes out and I was sitting there, holding her and silently letting her know that she would never be alone again. I would not tolerate anyone hurting her like that ever again. Once her sobs quieted, I spoke again.

"You're covered in dirt and you smell horrible." Just because hell froze over and I actually cared about her didn't mean that my social skills improved any. "Let's get you a bath and see if there's any saving your hair."

She gave me a weak nod and got up with me, holding my hand the entire way to the bathroom.

"Do you know how to bathe yourself?" The only answer I got was a blank look. Now that was just perfect. I let out a heavy sigh, resigning myself. "Take off your clothes while I run the water then."

Luckily she didn't need help with that. I could hear the rustle of her, what could barely be counted, clothes. Once the water seem to be satisfactory, I motioned to her to get in. I'll admit that it was kind of awkward to be in there with her naked, but it could have been worse. She was just a kid and I never found women all that appealing anyway.

"See this?" I asked, holding up a rag and soap. She nodded. "So you can do this yourself later, I'm going to show you what to do. First you wet your rag and lather it with soap."

A little while later found Neko and me sitting on the bed and me behind her, her whimpering every now and then in pain. (It's not that you sickos!!!!) It was official by that point that she completely hated the comb I held in my hand. I was determined to get all of the damn knots out of her hair.

Toma had returned a while ago and questioned my ability! I growled quietly as I remembered.

Flashback

_I had just gotten Neko out of the bath. She was now squeaky clean and I found that she was actually about as pale as the moyashi and me. Her innocence finally deactivated too. It was then that I realized that we had a really big problem. The only clothes that I had to put her in were the disgusting rags that I found her in. since there was nothing else that I could do, I dug through my luggage and threw a clean shirt at her and a brand new pair of boxers. (She had to cover that area somehow too and I didn't have anything else!)_

"_Put those on for now. We should be at headquarters within the next few days. You'll get something better then." She pulled the boxers on but I had to help her with the shirt buttons. "Now that you're clean and dressed, it's time to tackle your hair. I think I fix it without cutting it."_

_I stuck my head out when I heard a maid come by the room and asked/demanded that she get me a comb. That's when Toma got back, bandages covering his face. As soon as Neko saw him, she tensed and grabbed my pants leg._

"_Don't worry Neko," I said, gently prying her hands off. "He works with me. There are a lot of people like him where we're taking you."_

_She didn't say anything, but did relax a little. It seemed that she wasn't going to be comfortable around him for a long time. I wasn't surprised. After all she went through and the torment she probably suffered from the hands of others, I was shocked that she trusted __**me**__. When the comb came, Toma sat down in a chair across the room, realizing the same thing that I did as I led Neko to the bed and lifted her onto it._

"_Do you really think that you'll be able to all of those knots out?" he asked, an eyebrow raised. I shot a glare at him._

"_My hair is longer than hers and I have to get rat's nests like hers out of it after akuma attacks all the time. What makes you think that this would be different?" He pissed me off even more when he only gave me a shrug as a response._

Present

_Stupid dumbass finder_ I thought as I _finally_ got the last knot out. I gave Toma a quick "what now bitch?" look and turned back to Neko, taking in her hair now that it was free of dirt and combed. It turned out that it was a good thing that I was able to save it. It fell to her waist and was a stunningly warm shade of golden wheat. Even after all the time that it hadn't been taken care of properly, it was still soft to the touch. It would have been a shame and a definite waste to cut it.

"There we go," I said to her, getting off the bed to put the comb in my bag with the rest of my stuff. "If you take care of it properly, it shouldn't get that bad again."

As I was making sure that everything was where it was supposed to be, I felt a light tug on my hair. Immediately, my gazed snapped to whoever would be foolish enough to mess with hair with full intention of burning them to a crisp with my glare alone. My rage died down when I saw that it was just Neko. Had it of been the baka usagi, then mugen would have been out in the flash of an eye, getting real close and personal with his neck.

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered out. Not wanting to scare her any more I just "Hn"ed and shook my head. Looked like she got the message. "Can you make my hair like yours? It's really tickling me."

"Sure," I said and did something that I would normally ever do. I grabbed my spare hair tie and pulled her hair up for her, leaving her long bangs out to frame her face. It was damn near impossible to keep a smile from forming on my face as see beamed at me in all of, what Lenalee would call, her chibi glory.

"Mister, what's your name?"

"Kanda."


	3. Chapter 3

Sadistic-neko: Wow! Am I being hit by an amazing wave of inspiration or what? I mean, this is like the third or fourth time this week that I've updated one of my stories! It's amazing!

Kanda: Would you please get on with the story already. There were people just about yelling at you to update soon after you posted the last chapter.

Sadistic-neko: Fine. Don't think that I can't see through you though. You just want to see your precious little moyashi-chan! (Kanda gives a "so what?" look and author turns to the readers)I do not own -man and I hope that yall enjoy the new chap!

It was looking more and more like it was a _very_ good thing that Komui got us a private car on the train. Neko was so jumpy that I was almost amazed she didn't jump clean through the damn roof. She wasn't afraid, at the moment, since we were alone, but she found the train to be the most fascinating thing ever.

Watching her stare out the window in awe, I couldn't help but think about why this old rust bucket was so interesting to her. She had never even seen a train before. Then again, how could she when she never even had parents that cared enough to take her on a vacation? Rage flooded through me again as I though that.

I still couldn't figure out why I cared so much about the child. I had been around children before and they never affected me. Not even the boy that had recently been added to our ranks. The only thing that I could think of was that, maybe, I cared about her so much because I was still weak from the incident with Alma, and she reminded me of how I was back then.

Just like her, after Alma died, I was alone. No body really cared about me. All I was, was a weapon that was to used at their own convenience. I guessed that, I just didn't want this child, as innocent as she still was, to be hurt like I was. Deciding that there was no point in thinking about it anymore, I focused on her again, making sure that she was okay still. She had already preformed an impossible miracle and wormed her way into my heart.

"What's that?" she asked excitedly, frantically pointing at a body of water outside the train.

"It's a lake."

"It's really pretty!"

"Hn." I reached over and pulled her down. "We're not going to be on here for much longer. Once we get off, we have to head for the church that has the 'door' to where we're heading. Until then, you need to calm down."

"Okay," she chipped, snuggling into my side. If she had been anyone else, I would have cut their damn head off. With her, it was tolerable. To tell the truth, it was actually, kind of… cute. Not that I would ever say that out loud, especially near the baka usagi. Soon enough, she was fast asleep and I was gently shifting her head so that she didn't get drool all over me.

The rest of the train ride was spent in silence. As I had told her earlier, there wasn't much left of the ride. I only had to wait another hour or so after she fell asleep to get off. I couldn't get her to wake up so I carried her.

Toma was surprised as hell to see me come out of the car holding her so her head rested against my shoulder.

"Wha…" he began, but I cut him off.

"Just shut up and get moving. The gate is supposed to open in a little while and I really don't want to go through all of the trouble of getting Komui to, somehow, convince the old geezers to allow it to be opened again." With that, he shut up and we went straight to the church the gate had been opened in.

We made it just as it opened and ran through the ark until we got to the door that led to the Black Order headquarters. I was amazed that Neko didn't wake up as she got jostled by the quick steps. As we exited, we were greeted by the overly hyper and caffeinated Komui.

"So, this is the little girl," he started. He looked like he was going to fall over at any minute. I glared suspiciously at him as he smiled, his glasses glinting evilly and quickly turned around to address someone, or something. "Oh, Komurin! Come and examine our new exorcist!"

I growled as soon as I saw the little robot wobbling up to Neko and me. There was no way in hell that I was letting it anywhere near the child in my arms. Especially when one of the sleep deprived science division members bumped into it, spilling some strange purple liquid on it, shorting it out. I shifted her so that she was situated on my left hip and drew mugen, slicing the thing to so many pieces that it couldn't even be used as scrap metal.

"Komurin!" Komui wailed. "Kanda! How could you be so cruel? He was just a baby!"

I just glared, and turned around, heading towards the door. Putting mugen back in its sheath, I looked over my shoulder.

"I'm taking her to the medical ward. She'll be there if you need her for anything." With that, I stomped out and did as I said I would.

The medical ward was quiet, so I assumed that not many of the exorcists had been injured since I left. I walked in and headed straight to the head doctor. If I weren't me and had my stoic reputation on the line, I would have laughed at her shocked expression. Any hell that I went through would have been completely worth it to see the demonic woman like that.

"W-what happened to her?" she asked after a moment of stunned silence.

"She was abandoned by her parents." I gritted my teeth as I said this. "From what she's told me, she's been alone as long as she can remember. As far as I know, she is a walking skeleton and anything else is your job to figure out."

"Leave her to me." The old woman's face was determined. "I can't believe how disgusting some people are. How could anyone leave their own child to defend themselves on the street?"

Before I could even think to warn her about Neko's fear of people other than me or her innocence, she had barged through the doors to an examination room to do what she did best. Patch together hurt exorcists. I shrugged, figuring that she would find out for herself soon enough and left to get some much needed soba.

As I walked down the hallways, everybody avoided me. Hell, the line even disappeared when I entered the cafeteria. I thought that they were all stupid to think that I would go off on them just because they were within twenty feet of me. That would only happen if they pissed me off. Not really dwelling on it, I walked right up to one of the few people that weren't afraid of me. The pink haired, gay ass cook, Jerry. Then again, why would the man that could easily poison my food whenever he felt like it be scared of me?

"Here's your soba, Kanda." He handed it to me and I went to the table that I always sat at and, after breaking my chopsticks, dug in.

Everything was fine until I heard an annoyingly familiar voice ring out just behind me.

"Yu-chan! You're back from your mission!" without even a second's hesitation, I drew mugen and pressed it his throat.

"Stop calling me that already damn it!" No sooner had I said that did I find out that there was another stupid bastard there that wanted to die. After all, why else would they touch my blade and move it away from the baka usagi's neck while I was trying to kill him.

"Come on Kanda, you just got back so shouldn't you be relaxing or something instead of trying kill your colleagues?" yet another annoying voice asked.

"Stay out of this Moyashi." I didn't even bother looking at the other person. All I focused on was ending the redhead rabbit's life.

"That's enough." The moyashi's voice was firmer this time and he moved his hand from mugen to gabbing my wrist. I sent him the most chilling glare I could his way.

"I suggest you let go of my hand or you will lose yours." He glared at me. Just as I was about to say something else when, out of nowhere, something barreled into me and left me staring at the ceiling. Confused as hell, I looked down to find Neko curled up on my chest shivering with her innocence activated.

"Little girl! Get back, oh Kanda, sorry about that," the head doctor said, trying to pry Neko off of me but only succeeding in causing little holes to be made in my jacket from where she clung onto it with her little clawed fingers. "You need to let go! We're not going to hurt you! We're just going to see if anything is wrong with you."

"Just let go," I said, both getting her hand off of the trembling child and standing up at the same time, letting Neko cry on my shoulder. "She's afraid of people. So far, I'm the only one that she lets near her. I'll just get her to eat and take her back to be examined when she's done."

Deciding to just ignore the awed and amazed stare I was getting, I went up to Jerry and began ordering some of the foods that I noticed Neko liked and other shit that might fill her up. Jerry didn't seem to scare her too much. I think it was because he smelled like food.

"Well now, this little cutie pie eats as much as Allen-chan!" he practically sang, dancing around the kitchen with his frying pan. "I can tell that I'm going to love her already!"

"Just give me the food already," I sighed. "The head doctor is dying to examine her."

I needn't of said any more. Not even a second after I spoke, all of the food I had ordered magically appeared in front of me. Knowing that I didn't have a snowball's chance in hell in carrying her and the food, I put her down and grabbed the overflowing tray. She latched onto my leg as soon as her feet hit the ground.

Careful not to step on her, I guided her to the table and sat down. She was too short to get up on the bench by herself, so I lifted her up and sat her next to me. She began shoveling food down her throat the second it was placed in front of her.

"Neko, no one is going to take it away from you, so eat slowly please. Just shoveling it down like that is disgusting." Nope, social skills still not magically showing up.

"Okay," she said, shoveling it in at a slower pace. I sighed, making a mental note to teach her table manners later on when the moyashi, his hired stalker and the baka usagi weren't watching me intently.

"Yu-chan?" the baka usagi squeaked. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head while you were on your mission?"

"Call me that one more time and you will find yourself as little pieces in a box. Do I make myself clear?" I spoke calmly, trying not to let Neko know how pissed I was. As impossible a venture it seemed, I was attempting to not scar her for life. After that, they shut up, letting Neko and me finish our lunch. From the sounds of munching coming from behind, it appeared that the others were eating too.

"Kanda," Neko asked as she took her last bites, talking while she chewed. "Who are those guys? Why did the weird guy with red hair call you 'Yu-chan'?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full." She swallowed and waited for me to continue. "The redhead is the baka usagi. The one with the white hair is the moyashi and the other guy with the two dots on his forehead is the moyashi's stalker."

"Hey!" came three indignant yells from behind us. I got _really _pissed off when I saw a hand grab Neko out of my peripheral vision. I thought about cutting the baka usagi's hand off, (obviously he was the one that grabbed her.) but, after seeing her tense, I decided that I would stay out of the line of fire. It turned out that it was a good idea when she slashed all three of the idiots. The baka usagi got the worst of it.

"Ow!" they all screamed at the same time.

"Good girl," I muttered so that only her cat ears could pick it up. I would have even patted her on the head, but, since she was hiding behind me, glaring at the three idiots, I didn't.

"What was that for?" the baka usagi whined. The only response that he got was a hiss and bared fangs.

"She doesn't like people," the moyashi deduced, rubbing his injured arm. "I know that look."

Both Neko and I glared at him suspiciously as he bent down and approached us slowly. He stopped just out of her reach. I kept my hand on mugen, ready to draw it if he did anything that called for action.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly, slowly taking off his left glove, revealing his pitch black hand. The very thing that had made his life a living hell. "See? I'm just like you."

"Really?" she asked, inching out from behind me. She looked kind of hopeful.

"Yeah. People have been mean to you, huh?" She nodded. "They've hurt me too. I know how you feel. If you ever need anything, just come to me."

She just stared at him for a while, trying to figure out if he meant what he said of not. She took too long, so I just gave her a gentle push and she practically landed in his arms. If there was one thing that I knew about the moyashi, his heart was too big. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he would help her and had already decided that he was going to protect her just as vehemently I was.

"See?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace. "I won't hurt you. I won't let anyone else hurt you either. Now, how about we go back to the medical ward so the nice doctor can make sure that you're okay?"

She smiled and nodded like there was no tomorrow, clearly not noticing him wince when he said the words "nice doctor".


	4. Chapter 4

Kanda: (looks at author confused) Didn't you just post a new chapter like two minutes ago?

Sadistic-neko: Yeah so? Aren't you happy?

Kanda: It doesn't really matter, but, how the hell did you type (looks at draft of story on author's laptop) six pages so quick.

Sadistic-neko: (rubs back of head and laughs a bit sheepishly) Well, you see, it's kind of a funny story. When I went to update this story, I first checked it here to double check where I put the chapter break and I saw that only two chapters had been posted and I had just gotten done typing chapter four. Confused as hell, I went to post the third chapter and, when I went to save it as its own document, I found that I had already prepared it and totally forgot to post it. Turns out that I meant to post it ever a month ago. After fixing my mistake, I figured that I may as well post this chapter too so I wouldn't forget like with the last one. So, sorry, that was totally my fault.

Kanda: you really are stupid.

Sadistic-neko: Hey! I'm not stupid! I'm just slow! As punishment for being mean, you have to do the disclaimer! And you have to make sure to say "yall"

Kanda: Whatever. (turns to readers) This moron does not own -man and hopes that you all (hears author yell and backs away as she starts stalking towards him with a pair of scissors, eyeing his hair dangerously) Fine! She hopes that _yall_ enjoy her newest chapter!

**Allen POV**

I couldn't help but watch the dark haired man that was walking in front of me. It had only been a few days since I last saw him, but, somehow, he seemed so different. The murderous wave that always seemed to surround him was nowhere to be found.

My gaze turned to the _absolutely adorable_ little girl that was walking next to him _holding his hand_. She had to be the reason for the change. After all, I had never seen him being anywhere near as gentle with anyone as he was with her. I almost died in shock when he picked her up and held her. He was even going through all of the trouble of trying to find the best way to tell her what we all were so that she would understand and wouldn't get scared! As much as I hated to admit it, it was kinda cute.

I broke out of my thoughts as I felt a chill run down my spine. The only thing that could have caused it was Kanda about to lose his temper. It was annoying, but I had somehow developed a "Kanda" and "Kanda's temper" detector. I swear if he was within sixty feet of me I knew it no matter what!

Well, anyway, the "Kanda temper gauge" on my "Kanda temper" detector was filling up drastically at an alarming rate. It was obvious that he was trying his best to keep it in check for the little girl's sake, but he could only restrain himself so much with Link and Lavi murmuring about them not even ten feet behind him. We both let out a sigh of relief as the medical ward's door came into view. The relief was short lived because, just as Kanda was reaching for the doorknob, it swung open, hitting Kanda square on the nose and opening a really bad looking wound on his chest, revealing Miranda.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed, going into her over the edge apologizing state. "I'm so sorry!"

I watched her jump for the medical tools worriedly. My concern only increased as she took hold of a scalpel.

"I'm so worthless! All I do is get in the way! I should just do everyone a favor and end my life now." I was about to jump and stop her when a huge black hammer descended upon her head, dazing her long enough for us to get the sharp objects away form her. I sighed as she calmed down. She really was too much at times. My alarm flew right back as I heard screaming coming from another direction.

"Kanda Yuu!" the head doctor roared. "What is wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me that you were injured?"

I cringed as she grabbed him by his ear and began dragging him to one of the examination rooms. As much as I hated the guy most of the time, I couldn't help but pity him. After all, I had been in his shoes before. That woman was scarier than any akuma I had ever met.

"Let go of me you withered old demon bitch," was the last thing that we heard from him before he disappeared behind the dreaded door. That door was the second most feared door the order had. The first was, of course, the one that Komui took all of the new exorcists through to get a good look at their innocence.

"M-Mr. Moyashi?" a little voice asked, companied with a small tug at my trouser leg. "Where did that lady take Kanda?"

I cold feel my eyebrow twitched as she called me by that accursed name. Figures that as soon as I started to think of him a little bit better, he would go and convince some sweet little girl that my name was "beansprout".

"That's not my name," I told her, kneeling down to be at her level. "It's just what Kanda calls me. My real name is Allen."

"Oh, okay," she said, giving me an adorable smile.

"What's your name?"

"Kanda calls me Neko." That's when Lavi just randomly popped up out of nowhere.

"Yuu-chan calls you 'cat'?"

"No," she said, hiding behind me. "He calls me Neko."

"Neko is Japanese for cat."

"Japanese?" She was still hiding behind me.

"It's Yu-chan's native language." She looked at him totally confused. "He was born in a place called Japan where they speak Japanese."

She didn't ask anything else, but tensed even more as we heard some other person approaching us. Her grip tightened and I could feel her practically glue herself to my leg. I turned my gaze to the person. It was a newer nurse.

"Hello," she said, holding her hand out to me. "My name is Anne. The head doctor asked me to examine a child that has recently been brought here. I was told that she would be with you."

She looked around, and smiled at Neko as she spotted her behind my leg. Just as she leaned down to either talk to the child or shake her hand too, Neko gave her a warning his. As soon as I heard it, I grabbed the woman and, as gently as I could, guided her out of the little girl's reach.

"She's been through a lot," I began, taking Neko's hand, hoping that it would help calm her. "I'm sure that you will understand that she isn't too comfortable with people getting too close to her."

"Of course." She looked sympathetic. As hypocritical as I knew it was, I kept my mouth shut. Calling people out like that would not help her in learning how to trust people. Knowing that it was for the best to have her examined, I knelt down to look her in the eye.

"This lady here is a doctor. She needs to look over you and see if you're healthy. Is that okay with you." Her eyes widened in fear and she shook her head frantically. I could understand her fear. I had been through something similar to her. The only difference was that, even though I was abandoned, the circus that I was part of fed me and kept me at least healthy enough to be used in the show and she didn't have anyone or anything. Knowing just how scared she was, I hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, I promise that I'll be there with you and Kanda will be back soon. You won't be alone."

"Okay." She was still shaking, but it seemed like she was a little more relaxed. I gave her one last squeeze and pulled away, smiling at her as brightly as I could.

"Now that's a brave girl."

**TBC…**

**LOL, JUST KIDDING**

**Kanda POV**

"Baka, aku, ogre woman **(1)**," I mumbled, stomping my way through the medical ward in search of Neko. The damn woman not only _dragged me by my ear_ to the examination room, but also had to give me a damn lecture about getting my wounds treated. She knew damn well that they healed just fine on their own! I went through worse when the assholes at the Asia branch where experimenting on me after they made me.

After passing a couple of more rooms with no success, I was starting to get frustrated and, as much as I hated to admit it, worried. Neko was afraid of people and I was the person that she went to when she was scared. What if she needed me and I was still just wandering around looking for her?

_Finally_ I approached a room and I could see a blur of red jumping about like a fool and two figures sitting on an examination table. I almost let out a sigh of relief as I saw that one of the figures on the table was the very little girl that I was looking for. I would have if it weren't for the fact that I wasn't the only one the hall.

Figuring that I wouldn't get anywhere just standing there, I stepped into the room, practically being stalked by the head doctor that had been following me to make sure I didn't do something idiotic to reopen the injury that she had just finished bandaging.

"Lavi," I heard the moyashi say. "You are the clown ever."

"Yeah right!" the baka usagi exclaimed back. "Like you can do any better!"

"I used to live with a traveling circus, Lavi. I could be a better clown than without even trying."

Deciding to just ignore their banter, I took in the scene before me. The moyashi and Neko were the ones sitting on the table, the girl's hand a death grip on the other's. She was holding his hand that had his innocence in it and his other hand was bandaged, making me think that she accidentally injured him and they decided to switch for safety's sake. The baka on the other hand was, as expected, the one flailing about the room like a lunatic, apparently trying to distract the scared child. Off to the side, the nurse that was doing Neko's examination and the head doctor were talking.

The room was small and the window was opened. A breeze blew through and I guessed that it was the only reason that Neko had yet to notice me, for, as soon as it stopped she turned in my direction with a blinding, elated smile. I walked to her and she threw her arms around me.

"Hi Kanda!" She was so enthusiastic that it wouldn't have been hard to let her cheerfulness to spread to me, but, as I was surrounded by other people, I didn't let it. Instead, I just nodded to her to let her know that I heard her and acknowledged her greeting.

"Excuse me," the head doctor said, trying to get our attention. "The examination is almost over, but we still need to draw blood and then you, sweetie, (obviously, she was talking to Neko) will have to go see Komui and get your innocence looked at."

"Okay," she responded, looking like she hadn't understood most of what was said. As the doctor walked away to fetch her needle, Neko turned to me. "Is Kanda okay?"

"Yeah," I said, sitting down on the examination table on her other side. "The old hag was just over reacting. She should know by now that being run through isn't that big of a deal for me."

"You were run through again?" the moyashi asked as if just to be polite. I knew that he was fully aware of not only my regenerative abilities, but how and why I had them. It annoyed me to no end that he knew so much about me, but what _really pissed me off_ was how he found out. Those damn Noah and the fact that they just had to screw around inside my head and drag the moyashi along for the ride. At least it wasn't the baka usagi that they accidentally grabbed. I would have never heard the end of it if it was.

My musing came to an end when the doctor walked up to us and the door opened, Komui on the other side, whipping some tears from his eyes.

"Poor, poor Komurin," he said before putting his glass back on and straightening up. "Are you done with the medical examination?"

"Just about, sir," the doctor responded, setting the equipment that she was about to use on a small tray on a cart next to the table the moyashi, Neko and I were located on. "I just need to draw some of her blood t see of she has any diseases or disorders and that'll be it."

She pulled out her needle and everything went to hell. The instant that Neko saw the needle, she started freaking out. I watched in shock for a second as she trashed around, trying to get as far away from the object as possible and hiding behind me. Instead of letting get to where she was trying to be like I would in just about any other situation, I grabbed her wrist and pulled her to my chest, wrapping my arms around her, successfully keeping her from getting away and leaving an arm open for the head doctor to get the blood from. The moyashi aided me. He grabbed her other arm with the hand that innocence in it and using his other to rub her back in an attempt to calm her.

"There, there," he said in a soothing tone. "It'll be over soon, okay?"

It didn't really do much, considering that she was still trying to get out of my and the moyashi's grasp. As hard as the doctor was trying, she couldn't see the vein and hesitated, not wanting to hurt the kid anymore than necessary. At last, I lost it. It was just getting plain ridiculous.

"Neko," I said sternly. "Whether you want her to draw your blood or not, it's going to happen. If you continue struggling like this, you'll just make it hurt more. So what will you do? Keep struggling like this and hurt yourself or relax and get this over with."

She looked at me with her wide green, teary eyes and then looked down, gripping my shirt and resting her head on my chest. The moyashi patted her back, a gentle smile on his face.

"That's a good girl."

"Are you ready now Neko?" the doctor asked. The only response was a nod from the child who had her face buried in my shirt. The doctor just nodded to herself and tied a rubber strip around her arm, causing the blood to slow down below the restriction and made the vein visible. Then, slowly, she put the needle and plastic piece that the blood would go through to enter the little tube it would be placed in and stuck it in her arm. I could feel her tense, so I tightened my hold on her to remind her that I was still with her. When it was done, she had a little lollipop, given to her by the doctor, and a Band-Aid as the only sign of what she had just gone through.

"Well," Komui said, his glasses glinting the way they always did before he did something stupid or sadistic (sometimes both). I tensed, having seen that look too many times. Something bad was just about to happen. I couldn't help but notice the way he eye the three of us, Neko, the moyashi and me, the entire time. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to end well. "Considering that Neko here is only a small child, she needs a guardian, and I believe that I know just the exorcists for the job.

The moyashi and I tensed. There was no way the conversation was going the way we thought it was! There was no way in hell!

"W-who would they be," the moyashi asked weakly in a pathetic squeak. We both paled as his smile seemed to grow even more evil (here I thought that neither one of those occurrences were possible!).

"Why, Allen," he said, looking every bit like a predator about to end his game of cant and mouse with his prey. "That would be you and Kanda of course!"

"What!" we both yelled. He had to kidding!

**(1) **He's calling her a "stupid, evil ogre woman".


	5. Chapter 5

Sadistic-neko: Hi! I hope that everybody's been well since I last updated!

Allen: We have.

Sadistic-neko: well I can't think of anything really funny to type this time so (turns to readers) I do not own -man and I hope that yall enjoy my newest chapter! Please review! I would love to know what yall think of it!

**Allen POV**

Kanda and I were able to sit there looking at Komui dumbfounded. Everything in me _hoped _and _prayed_ that I heard him wrong. If not, he had to kidding, right?

"As I said, you two are to be little Neko here's guardians." He still had that evil look about him.

"Why?" I squeaked out while Kanda just glared.

"Well," he began, enjoying himself too much for my taste. "Kanda will be one of her guardians for her comfort's sake, seeing how see appears to feel safest around him."

"What about me then?" I couldn't see any reasoning behind this. Had he finally lost what was left of his mind? Didn't he know that Kanda and I hated each other?

"That would be because of her innocence. From what the report that Toma gave me says, I gather that her innocence is a parasite type. At the moment, we only have two exorcists who would qualify to teach her how to properly use hers. They would be you and Krory." I was shocked that he put so much thought into it _and_ that it made sense so far. "So, since she already seems to be comfortable around you and, frankly, I think that you would be a better teacher, you will be her other guardian."

"Is something wrong?" Neko asked, sensing the tense atmosphere. Kanda gave her one look and let out an exasperated sigh.

"No," he said, pulling her up further on the table because she was, somehow slipping off. "Just go back to eating the sucker. We'll be done talking soon."

"Okay!" she said and then set about doing what she was told. It still amazed me how gentle he was with her. It was obvious that she adored him and that he cared for her. I desperately wanted to know how she did it. Whether or not I found out, though, didn't really matter. All I truly knew was that taking care of her would be good for him.

"Fine," I said, wanting to be able to see first hand just what would happen between the two. "I agree, after all, you're not really giving us an option, are you?"

"Nope," he chirped with a smile then turned to Kanda. "What about you Kanda? Do you agree to be her guardian with Allen?"

"Hn," came his famous monosyllable response. He didn't look too happy about the arrangement, but was going to put up with it. I made a mental note to _try_ and not make him mad for Neko's sake.

"Well," Komui said _way_ too cheerfully. "It's time to examine her innocence and get her everything that she'll need while she's here."

Kanda and I both glared at him. We were both thinking that he had better of not thought that he would get her in his terrifying room. We both knew the horrors that she could, and probably would, face in there. I still had nightmares about my trip in there. A shiver went down my spine as I remember the vow I made that day, and had yet to keep, to _never ever_ break my arm again.

"O-of course you two are allowed in there too," he stuttered out as if suddenly remembering who he was talking to. He should have learned by that point that neither Kanda nor I were people that should be pissed off. I was known as the "destroyer of time" due to Hevlaska's prophecy and was being, as Kanda put, stalked by Link because the higher ups in the order were just waiting for me to lose myself to the fourteenth and try killing everyone. Kanda, on the other hand, was just unstable and tended to try killing anyone that ticked him off with mugen.

Seeing as how Komui did the smart thing for once and bended to our will, I leaned down to look Neko in the eye. She just gazed at me curiously, her lollipop still in her mouth. I gave her a smile to try and keep her relaxed.

"This man, Komui, is going to take a look at your innocence, okay?" I said, taking one of her hands in mine. "He'll make sure that it won't hurt, right?"

Said man nodded frantically as I glared at him, letting my black side show. Not even bothering to say anything, Kanda got off of the table and picked Neko up, situating her on his hip, and we all followed Komui out the door and to his personal examination room.

When we got there, Kanda put Neko on the table and both he and I placed ourselves at her sides. We watched Komui like hawks as he asked her simple questions and looked over the medical report.

"Now," he said after a while. "Can you activate your innocence for me?"

She stared at him blankly, having absolutely no idea what he was asking. Clearly she didn't realize that what made her so different to the people that used to torment her was what made her special and useful to the order.

"He wants to know if you can do this," I said, activating the crown clown. She stared at me in awe for a moment, holding her hand out to feel the cloth of my cloak and lightly running her hand down my claws as if checking to see if they were real.

"I-I can try," she said, closing her eyes, concentrating. As the minutes passed, I could feel her innocence trying to free itself. I could feel that she wasn't doing something right. It felt too forced. Knowing this, I put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to snap her eyes open to look at me.

"You need to relax. Your innocence is part of you and is connected to your emotions. If you try and force it to come out, it won't. Let it know that you want it to come out in a calm way and it'll come." She nodded and tried again. I smiled at her proudly as her ears melded and became cat ears resting on the top of her head and her hands and feet took on the appearance of paws, razor sharp claws adorning them. I looked to Kanda to see how he was responding to her fast accomplishment. His lips twitched once, as if itching to smile too.

"Excellent!" Komui exclaimed, looking her over quickly, but thoroughly. We weren't sure how long she would be able to keep her innocence activated. "You have a cute innocence, that's for sure. Your ears are just _adorable_!"

Kanda and I both sweat dropped. It looked like Komui found another younger girl to gush over along with his sister, Lenalee.

"We will call it the 'Cat's claw'! Now, time to go see Hevlaska!" He didn't even bother waiting for us before he skipped out the door. Used to such behavior, Kanda and I just got up and the samurai helped Neko off of the examination table, taking hold of the small hand that was placed in his.

"Now do you see why I told you that you might want to steer clear of him," he asked as we made our way to Hevlaska's chambers. I saw blonde locks fly about as she nodded to him.

It didn't take us too long to catch up to Komui. He was practically jumping up and down, an obvious side-effect of too many days with out sleep and too much coffee. Without a word, he shoved us into the room and onto the platform that would lower us to Hevlaska.

"Where are we?" a little voice asked below us.

"Where a fellow exorcist lives. She takes care of the innocence that we find that don't have people like us to use it." Kanda spoke carefully quiet, his glare pointed in the direction that the elders that ruled over the order sat when an exorcist was brought to see the guardian/keeper of the innocence. He knew just as well as I did that they were evil and manipulative when it came to their duties. They wouldn't hesitate to use her against us, or just use her whenever they felt it convenient.

"Why hello there little one," a resounding voice rang out around us. Hearing this, Neko jumped, gaze whipping around everywhere to try and find the source. She hissed and activated her innocence, swiping at a tentacle like thing that looked to be made out of light. I chuckled, watching her hide behind Kanda's legs again and remembered my first meeting with the being before us.

"It's okay Neko," I said holding my hand out to prove my point. The tentacle that Neko had swiped at moved and caressed me hand in a kind of tender greeting. "See? She just wants to see your innocence. It'll feel weird, but it won't hurt."

"I did not mean to alarm you," Hevlaska apologized. "As Allen said, there is nothing for you to fear from me. I merely wish to see your innocence and I must touch you to do so. Will you allow me to?"

Neko didn't seem to be very convinced. In fact, she tightened her grip on Kanda's pants. Seeing this, he sighed and picked her up by the back of her, well, Kanda's, shirt. He lifted her until they were eye to eye.

"Neko," he began, just as he had when she was fighting us to get away from the needle earlier. "She's only asking you to be nice. You need to do this. The moyashi and I had to do this before too. He wasn't lying when he said that it wouldn't hurt."

"But, she's scary," the little girl whimpered. Kanda gave her a pointed look.

"She's a fellow exorcist, just like you, the other people I told you about and I are. Saying that she's scary is calling the rest of us scary. Now tell me, do you think that the moyashi and I are scary?"

"No." She looked appalled that he would even think that either one of us were scary.

"Then neither is Hevlaska. Understand?" He raised an eyebrow, just daring her to call the other exorcist scary again. She nodded and he lifted her up higher, turning her to the other exorcist. Hevlaska, in turn took the child form her as gently as she could.

"Hm," she said contemplatively as she probed her. "This child's innocence isn't just in one place in her body. It's almost as though her body_ itself _is her anti-akuma weapon."

"Very interesting indeed," Komui chipped in, speaking for the first time since we entered the chamber. Done with her task, she set Neko down, putting her right into Kanda's arms (surprising the hell out of him, of course) and giving her a gentle smile.

"Her destiny is awesome. She is to be a great healer and will bring people together. I look forward to seeing how she grows." That was all she said before she laid down, showing everyone present that all was done.

"Well!" Komui chirped. "Doesn't that sound great!"

Kanda and I just nodded, keeping our gazes fixed on the child in the samurai's arms. She was starting to doze off, and, as we watched her, I couldn't help but wonder. Just what kind of great healer would the small child be? Who would she heal? Who would she bring together?

Everything was silent as the platform floated back to the first floor of the order. Unfortunately, Link was standing at the door waiting for me. I sighed and did my best to ignore him as we followed Komui to the hall.

"Okay!" he exclaimed in the random fashion that only he could. "We have not had a chance to prepare a room for Neko yet, so she has to stay with one of you two tonight. Her clothes and room should be prepared by some time tomorrow. Bye!"

We stood in silence as he skipped down the hallway, singing something about Lenalee and, probably, thinking of the best way to either fix the Komurin model that was destroyed earlier or make a new one.

"She'll stay with me," Kanda said, shifting Neko until she was in a more comfortable position. She was asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. "After all, I doubt that you have enough room in your room with your stalker sleeping in there too."

That was all he said before he turned and went to his room.

**Kanda POV**

_Finally_ free of the moyashi and other pests, I let out a quick sigh and put Neko on my bed. It was becoming harder and harder to keep my stoic expression up. All of the years of hard work that I put in after I had to kill Alma were ripped away when the damn Noah revived him.

Almost robotically, I began changing into my night attire, pulling out something for the child sleeping peacefully on my bed without even thinking about it. Realizing what I was doing, I couldn't help but think that she had somehow, inadvertently, trained me or something. It had only taken her two days to get me to automatically respond to her, whether she wanted to hold my hand or to be held.

As I let my hair down so I wouldn't have to dig my hair tie out of it in the morning, I couldn't help but stare at her. She really was an amazing kid. It was unbelievable that she had gotten me to warm up to her as much as I had, let alone as fast as she did. Then there was the outstanding amount of control she had over her innocence earlier that day. Thinking about it, I let out the proud smirk I had been dying to release earlier at last and lightly shook her, rousing her so she could change into the clothes I set aside for her.

"Kanda?" she asked, looking up at me blearily. She rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"You need to change," I said handing her the clothes. Getting the point, she grabbed them and changed. I was _very_ thankful that she learned to change herself quickly. She had barely pulled on the shirt that I gave her before she collapsed onto the bed, out like a light.

Knowing that I didn't stand a chance in hell of getting her out of my bed (hard lesson learned the night before in the hotel room), and not really caring by that point, I turned out the light and crawled in next to her and pulled the blanket over the both of us. Once comfortable, I gave her one last look, one thought running through my head as I drifted off to sleep.

_Hevlaska was right. She really will be a __**great healer**__, and I don't think that I mind being her first victim._


	6. Chapter 6

Sadistic-neko: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in so long. You see, I'm out of state at the moment and I just got to a place that has wifi for my laptop.

Lavi: That's okay! It's not your fault!

Sadistic-neko: (hugs the bunny with little tears in eyes.) Thank you so much! You're much nicer than Kanda and the yamis from my other story! (lets go) Well, I guess that it's tome to do the disclaimer. (turns to readers and opens mouth to speak)

Lavi: ooh, ooh (jumps up and down excitedly and waves arms around in a similar fashion) Can I do it? Can I do it?

Sadistic-neko: (laughs) I don't see why not. Go ahead.

Lavi: Yeah! (turns to readers) Sadistic-neko does not own -man and hopes that yall enjoy her newest chapter!

**Allen POV**

The morning after Kanda brought Neko home, I awoke in the same fashion that I had been for months prior. To Link, _somehow_, being awake already, staring at me, a sealing talisman ready just in case I was not me anymore. I sighed and got up, getting my stuff ready to change behind the screen that I put in there to give me at least a _little_ bit of privacy.

Once done, I left the room, knowing that Link would be three feet behind me like always. As I made my way to the cafeteria, I finger combed my hair and tied my ribbon around my neck. I passed by a few finders and gave them a halfhearted smile, using my best acting to make it seem as if nothing was wrong with me. It almost slipped off as I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the window behind them.

The image that I had become accustomed to being behind me and was beginning to hate was standing there with its ever present smile. It was the reason that I was putting up with the comments that my hair was messy, something that I would have never allowed when I first entered the order, because I was avoiding any and all reflective objects. All in all, it was a horrible way to start the day.

It didn't take me too long to get away… as politely as possible. I just wanted to go back to bed, but that would have caused suspicion and I was hungry. Biting back a sigh, I continued on my way to the cafeteria. I hoped seeing Jerry and getting some food in my stomach would bring my mood up some.

I was kind of surprised to find that I, apparently, got up earlier than normal, because the halls of the order were practically empty. In fact, the finders that I had passed were the only other people up. Wow, if Link was up before me, then, did he ever sleep?

I contemplated this thought as I walked. Of course, I stopped after I almost ran into a pillar. I just shrugged it off and took a quick look around to see if I ended up getting myself lost while I wasn't paying attention. Luckily enough, I managed to reach my destination. Figures the only place I couldn't get lost trying to find would be where they served food.

A small shiver ran down my spine and I turned around to face Link. Again, he had a talisman out and I could see him mentally preparing himself to activate it. I sighed as he realized that nothing happened and lowered his arms, the talisman vanishing somewhere. Wanting to just get this day over with, I turned to the cafeteria's door and opened it.

"Like this?" I heard and stopped, looking up to find Kanda and Neko sitting at Kanda's normal table. My day was suddenly brightened as I saw the most adorable sight to ever meet my eyes. Neko was sitting in Kanda's lap, a bowl of soba in front of them and his arms wrapped around her. In her right hand was a pair of chopsticks and it looked like he was teaching her how to use them.

"Yeah." I had never heard his voice so soft before. "Now all you have to do is use this finger to move the top one up and down and you can grab food just like that. Just be careful not to be too forceful or else you'll lose your food. Understand?"

Instead of answering she gave a small nod and moved her chopsticks to the bowl her tongue out in deep concentration. Her first try ended in failure, but she didn't let that get to her and tried again not even a second later. After a couple more tries, she finally had a noodle and she beamed up at the dark-haired man.

"Look! I did it!"

"Good job," he said, awkwardly patting her on the head. "Now you can eat with those instead of your hands." He moved her off of his lap and set her right next to him. "Remember to not just shovel your food down your throat, okay?"

She nodded to him and dug into her mountain of food, starting with the bowl of soba and Kanda began working on his own. I smiled and approached the counter, deciding that I wouldn't let them know that I was watching. Kanda was having an awkward enough time by himself!

Once I ordered my food, I headed straight for the table that the two of them were at.

"Hey guys," I said, wearing my first real smile in a long time. Neko went to reply but stopped when Kanda gave her a reproving look. She gave him a sheepish look and swallowed what was in her mouth.

"Hi Awen!" I could've just squealed at how adorable she was! I know my inner chibi sure was!

"Do you mind if I join you?" I knew that Kanda would probably say "no", but I couldn't help hoping that he would let me.

"Hn." I stood there for a moment, shocked. Had I heard him right? Of course, that ended when he sent me an irritated glare. Once back into my senses, I put my food on the table and sat down as quickly as I could.

The entire meal went by in silence. Well, that is until Lavi and Lenalee showed up.

"See!" the redhead yelled, pointing towards us in an overdramatic gesture. "I told you that Yuu-chan had a kid!"

"Wow," she responded in awe. "I can't believe this."

Before I could blink, the samurai was up and had mugen pressed against the rabbit's throat. As odd as it was, he didn't look that angry. In fact, he looked so calm that it was terrifying. My "Kanda temper gauge" was frozen over with his murderous intent.

"Now Baka usagi, what have I told you about calling me by my first name?" he asked, putting a little more pressure against the other's throat.

"Not to?" the redhead asked in a squeak.

"Good. Now would you care to tell me _exactly_ what you've gone and told others about Neko and me? Form what I got, you've said that Neko is _my_ child. Are you spreading some rumor that I've recently found some long lost child? I wouldn't put it past you."

"Maybe?" At this, the dark-haired one gave a chilling smile and moved mugen higher so that it was placed right in front of the other's mouth.

"Well then, maybe I should just rid you of that annoying tongue of yours. Doesn't that sound like a good idea?" Lavi's eyes widened as he heard this. With one huge blur he, somehow, got out of Kanda's grasp and began running for his life, the swordsman right at his heels. I could practically see steam coming out of the Jap's ears and nostrils.

"Hey, Allen," I turned in the direction the voice came from only to see that Lenalee had come over to me some time while I was watching the guys. "Would you mind telling what's really going on?"

"Sure," I said, checking Neko to see if she was alright. She was still chowing down on her meal. "Kanda found her on his last mission. She's our newest member and a parasite type, like me. She was abandoned by her parents and your brother made grouchy over there and me her guardians."

"Oh. Is that why she's wearing one of Kanda's shirts?"

"Yeah. She doesn't have any clothes. Komui said that he'll have some prepared for her along with a room some time today." She hummed in understanding and thought for a moment. Then, a look crossed her face that scared me even more than the one Kanda wore earlier.

"Nii-san will only have a couple of uniforms prepared for her and we can't really expect the poor child to only walk around in those. We should take her shopping!" I paled as I heard the dreaded word. The last time that I went shopping for her was last Christmas and I still had nightmares about it!

"I don't think that it's really necessary. I'm sure that if we ask, Komui would have other stuff made for her."

"Of course he would, but you're missing the point here. You and Kanda haven't gotten out of HQ for anything except missions for months! You're both as pale as ghosts and it would be a great way to get her familiar with the town!"

"I guess you're right about that but…"

"It's decided then! See you at the entrance in half an hour!" With that she bounded off leaving me dumbfounded and fearing for the worst. I was just about to bang my head on the table when I felt something tugging on my shirt. I looked down and Neko was looking up at me with curious green eyes.

"Awen, who was that?" she asked in her adorable little voice. I sighed and lifted her up to sit next to me.

"That was Lenalee. She's the younger sister of the guy that you met yesterday with the weird hat and glasses. She wants to take you, Kanda and me shopping to get you some new clothes."

"Come again?" Kanda asked, looking up from the bruised and bloody mess that used to be Lavi. "Don't tell me that you actually agreed to this."

"She insisted and didn't give me any room to argue!" He sighed and brought a hand up to his head to rub his temples.

"It would appear that we have no choice but to go along with her. I hate it when she gets like this." He walked up to Neko and me and helped the child down, taking her hand and leading her away. "We best get ready. You know how she is if she's kept waiting."

"Yeah," I sighed, getting up and putting my empty plates on the counter for Jerry to grab. Again, I tried to ignore Link following me. Was it really too much to ask for just one day without him there? It wasn't like the fourteenth was going to just not take over because he was hovering over me.

"Hey, Mr. Link!" a finder called out. We both turned to see what it was about. I contemplated trying to sneak away while he wasn't watching, but decided against it when I noticed the talisman in his hand that had been used on me before to immobilize me. The damn man just had to be ready for anything!

"Yes?" he responded, flicking his gaze to me out of the corner of his eye, using that one look to inform me that I was to stay right were I was.

"Supervisor Komui asked me to inform you that you have neglected to turn in your latest report on Allen Walker. As such, you are to turn it in immediately."

"What do you mean?" He looked absolutely baffled. "I turned it in two days ago, right on schedule."

"He said that it wasn't there, and if you didn't have it, than you needed to write it and that you were not to go anywhere until it was done and handed to him directly."

I inwardly laughed. This had Lenalee and Komui written all over it! I knew for a fact that he had turned it in. After all I had watched him do it. Those two were evil geniuses!

"What am I to do about Walker then? He was just leaving to get ready for a trip to town with some fellow exorcists," he asked, seeming oblivious to the plot that was against him. "Report or not, it is still my duty to follow him."

"You will leave him to Mr. Kanda and Ms. Lenalee. They should be able to handle anything that happens. He told me to tell you that there would be no arguing and that you could put your own duties on hold until you are done."

"Very well then," he said monotonously, giving me a look so evil that it could be on par with the Earl's. "I shall head over to the science division now."

I nodded and ran off, an evil grin plastered across my face. I would _definitely _have to thank the Lee siblings. I skidded to a stop in front of my room's door, stopping in only long enough to grab my wallet, deciding to leave my coat so I wouldn't attract as many akuma with Neko around. Then, in flash, I was out the door again, heading to the Black Order entrance.

By the time I got there, the others were already waiting for me. Lenalee was, as always, wearing a ridiculously short skirt and a more casual long sleeved, green blouse. Her hair was growing back very well and hung just below her shoulders. I asked her once if she was going to wear it up again like she did before it got scorched off in an akuma attack. She said that she wouldn't until it was as long again so she could wear some special hair ties that were given to her as a gift.

Kanda, on the other hand, just had on his typical outfit. It was his usual black pair of pants and a nice white shirt. For once, he wore it completely buttoned instead of leaving it unbuttoned or only partially done up correctly, showing the bandages that he always wore beneath. I assumed it was because we were about to go out into public. As per usual, he had his hair pulled up into a high ponytail.

Neko was standing next to him, holding his hand nervously. From the fearful way that she looked at the door, I guessed that they told her what we were about to do. She was still covered in one of Kanda's shirts. It was so big on her that it looked like a dress. The sleeves were rolled up to give her arms some freedom. Her hair was up in a similar fashion to Kanda's, except her bangs were a lot longer and framed her face.

"Allen," Lenalee began. "What took you so long?"

"Well," I began, giving them the smile I normally wear when I'm about to cream someone in poker. "Link's report, somehow vanished. When one of the finders was telling him that he wasn't to go anywhere until it was done, I had to wait. It turns out that I now have today completely Link free. Remind me to thank your brother later."

"Of course." She returned my grin with one just as evil. Just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished and turned into a giddy smile that she obviously got from her brother. "Let's get this show on the road!"

With that, the doors opened and we headed off to town.


	7. Chapter 7

Sadistic-neko: Hi everyone! I would like to thank all of the people that were kind enough to review.

Lavi: Yeah! She just wanted to be lazy today, but when she saw those nice comments she just had to type! In fact she just typed most of this today!

Kanda: (smacks Lavi upside the head) Baka usagi! You know that she wasn't being lazy. She was trying to distract herself so she didn't think about her grandmother.

Lavi: (rubs back of head sheepishly) Oops. Sorry, I forgot.

Sadistic-neko: (sighs, depressed) It's okay. It's sad, but it was for the best. Well, (turns to readers) I do not own -man and I hope that you enjoy this new chapter.

**Kanda POV**

I glared irritably at the crowd around us. They were staring at us and it was scaring Neko. She had a death grip on my hand and was shaking like crazy. Trying to calm the both of us down, I lifted her up and put her on my hip. Seeing this, the moyashi, who had been walking a bit in front us in a giddy fashion, ran to us.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked like some kind of mother hen. We both heard the child on my hip hiccup and fixed our gazes to her. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"T-too many people." Her voice was muffled by shirt since she had buried he face in it at some point. I held her a little tighter.

"We won't be out much longer," I said, locking me gaze with the Chinese woman that was responsible for this outing. She nodded to me in understanding and led us into a store that barely had any people in it.

I could feel Neko relax slightly as it became quieter and soft music met our ears. Looking around, I was able to understand why Lenalee chose this store. It was quaint. The interior was small, consisting of only the main room, what was probably the storage room and a back room that was most likely used for fittings. A dark wood, perhaps mahogany, made up the floor and the walls were cover in a faded wall paper that had some kind of floral design on it. My observations ended when I heard footsteps approaching us.

"Why hello Lenalee," an elderly woman greeted us. She was the image of a kindly grandmother. Her silvery hair was done up in a tidy bun, her dress was prim and proper, her hands seemed withered and worn from years of work in her trade and at home and spectacles sat halfway down her nose on her wrinkly face.

"Hello Mrs. Winston," the eldest girl in our group greeted back. It became apparent that they knew each other very well when she walked up the lady and hugged her. "How are you today?"

"My age is catching up to me, but I'm well. What brings you here today?" She looked to the moyashi, Neko and me curiously. "Who are your friends?"

"These are the guys that I was telling you about!" I could see how the Lees were related as she hopped over to us in a hyper manner similar to what her brother would do. "This is Allen, Kanda and the little girl Kanda is holding just arrived at the order yesterday! Her name is Neko and nii-san is having them watch over her as her guardians! Isn't she just the cutest thing?"

"I have to agree with you. She is adorable. So cute that it makes me wish I could see my grandchildren more." Her lips curved into a small, melancholy smile as she looked over the child. It only took a couple of seconds for that smile to turn into a disapproving frown. "Goodness gracious! What are you having this poor child wear?"

"Something better than the thread bare rags that I found her in," I said, for some reason feeling the need to defend myself and my capability as her primary guardian. "This is the first chance that we've had to find her some clothes."

"It's the reason that I brought them here!" Lenalee chimed in an eerily familiar sing-song voice. "I thought that you'd be able to find something that would be good for her!"

"Of course I can." She waved her hand in a dismissive manner and smiled at Neko. "What do say sweetie? How about I take you in the back to see if I can find you something to wear?"

Neko looked at her suspiciously. I could tell that she kind of liked to old woman, but she wasn't quite ready to trust her. She had been hurt so much that I couldn't blame her.

"I'll have to go with her," I said, leaving no room for argument. "She's still getting used to people."

"It won't be a problem." Her eyes shone with understanding and sympathy. "I have children come in here all the time that are afraid to let go of their parents' hands."

I bit back the retort about me not being her parent and put Neko down, grabbing her hand and led her into the back room so Winston-san could do her job and get her into something decent.

"While you do that, Allen and I will be looking around for stuff to put in her room!"

I watched as the bizarrely strong girl dragged the moyashi out of the store by his ankles. Neko and I winced as his nails made screeching noises on the floor as he clawed at it desperately, begging that she not do it or that someone would save him. The three of us sweat dropped as they disappeared into the crowd.

It didn't take too long for the elderly woman to find Neko some articles to try on. I cringed as obnoxiously bright pinks, yellows and oranges came into view. There was no way that I would let the girl wear those. Though, if she _really_ wanted to, I didn't think that I would be able say no.

"How do you like this?" the woman asked as she held up one of the very pieces that turned my stomach. I let out a barely audible sigh of relief as she stuck her tongue out and scrunched her face up in repulsion. "Now, sweetie, if you don't like something, say so. It is very improper and rude to stick your tongue out like that."

The little girl looked at me for confirmation and I nodded. She hung her head and mumbled a quiet apology. Satisfied, the shop owner held up a gray dress that had purple flowers adorning it.

"What about this one?"

"It's pwetty!" she beamed. The dress was set aside and more clothes were pulled out of the pile.

After almost half an hour of looking at nothing but dresses and skirts, I was thoroughly bored and there was a point that I had to make.

"She can't only where those," I said, making the woman jump since she seemed to of forgotten that I was there.

"Why not?" she asked. "They look good on her and she likes them. What else would she need?"

"She's a member of the Black Order like Lenalee, the moyashi and I are. Our work entails a lot of traveling and she'll need something that she can move in easily for training and if we are ever in a fight." The woman looked at me in horror.

"What?" she practically screamed. "Are you telling me that you and your superiors honestly expect this child to fight?"

"I don't like it either." I glared at her. Did she really think that I _wanted _drag the poor kid into the hell that the other exorcists and I lived in? "If I could, I would keep her and any child as far away from our work as possible. It's not my choice though. The same goes for Lenalee, the moyashi and most of the exorcists that have to fight. The moyashi and I haven't known anything other than this life! We know how horrible it is."

She seemed flabbergasted. Apparently she wasn't able to comprehend that I was in the child's shoes once, that I didn't wish our life on her or anyone. Eventually, she gave me a regretful look and went to find some clothes more suitable for the work the kid was going to be forced into. Once she found them, she put them in the room that Neko was changing in and sat in the chair next to mine.

"I apologize," she said after a moment of silence. "What I said was rude and callous. I didn't even think of what it was like for you."

"What ever." As much as I didn't want to talk, being as antisocial as I was, the silence was pressing on me like a dark cloud. Not able to take it anymore, I spoke. "You really seem to enjoy fitting Neko for clothing."

"I do." She smiled tenderly in the direction of the changing room. "My son married a woman that isn't too fond of my husband and me. She keeps us from seeing our grandchildren very often. We're lucky to see them once a year. When I fit children, it's like I'm able to spend time with them. Nothing will be able to replace them, but it's nice."

There wasn't really anything I could say. I never had a family, so I didn't know what it was like to long for a missing member. The closest thing I had was Teidol. I suppressed a shiver as I thought of the overly affectionate and clingy general. There was no way in hell that I was going to accept him as a parental figure.

"You know," I began slowly, not really sure what I was about to say. "Neko is still a kid. She's going to grow out of whatever we get her today pretty soon. Especially when we finally get some meat on her. Not to mention that her training and our job will probably wear them out quick too. This place seems to be a good place, so I guess it wouldn't be too bad to come here when she needs more."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her face brighten up. The look on her face was like I gave her the best present in the world. Then again, to her, it very well could have been.

"Thank you," she said, whipping some tears from her watery eyes. "I would appreciate that. You'll always be welcomed here."

"Hn," I responded, ignoring how seeing her so happy made me feel fulfilled, like I had done something worthwhile.

Neko and I were walking through town, looking for the moyashi and Lenalee. She was wearing the gray dress that was the first thing that Winston-son showed her that she liked. It had been three hours since she had dragged him away and, frankly, we were sick of waiting for them. After what felt like forever, I saw a dot of white hair among the crowd and grabbed its owner. Luckily, I got the very moyashi that I was looking for.

"Ow!" he exclaimed as I roughly pulled him into an empty alley. "Dang it Bakanda, why the heck did you have to jerk me out like that?"

"Where's Lenalee?" I asked, completely ignoring his question. He glared at me and then took a deep breath to calm himself.

"She went back ahead of me and told me to find you guys to let you know. Happy now?" I would have made some kind of retort, but, as the wind blew in our faces, I felt a little tug on my pants leg. I look down to see what Neko wanted but was shocked to find that she looked frantic.

"Neko?" I leaned down to her level and put my hands on her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"T-the bad things are here." I didn't get a chance to question her because, at the instant, the moyashi's eye activated. As soon as I saw the gear like monocle appear, I pulled Neko tight to my chest and drew mugen.

"Below you!" the moyashi yelled just in time for me to jump out of the way of an akuma as it burst forth from the ground. Another jumped off of a roof and landed right in front of him.

They were both level twos and were easily dealt with. It took only one strike to kill either one. There wasn't even enough time for them to try and use whatever random ability they had.

As the dust settled, we both stared, stunned at the little girl that was trembling in my arms. How the hell had she known that the akuma were close? As I thought about it, I remembered how she tried to warn me about the one that ran me through when I first saved her. Was she like the moyashi and could them? Or was it something different? Either way, there was no way in hell that we could let the top brass of the order find out.

"Neko?" I began, barely able to find my voice. "How did you know that they were there?"

"I-I can smell them," she sobbed. Again, her head was buried in my shirt. "T-they smell like a lot of people cwying."


	8. Chapter 8

Sadistic-neko: Hi everyone! Sorry that I haven't updated lately, it's just that my muse decided to be a bitch and ran away again. I was also traveling and getting ready for school, so I didn't have much time to type anyway. Well boys, can you help me with the disclaimer?

Allen: (grins as he collects winnings from Lavi) I win again.

Lavi: (pulls on hair) How do you do that! I know that you cheat but I can't catch you!

Kanda: Just give up already. He's already cheated you out of this month's salary.

Sadistic-neko: Um guys? (is ignored) Guys. (eyebrow twitches as she is ignored again. Picks up random rock and throws it at them) Guys answer me already damn it!

Guys: (Jumps and stares at the author.) What?

Sadistic-neko: (glares murder at them.) Disclaimer. Now.

Guys: (gulps) Okay. (turns to readers) Sadistic-neko does not own -man and hopes that y'all enjoy her newest chapter.

**Allen POV**

"Komui!" Kanda and I yelled as we burst into his office. He looked up at us, stunned, and began choking on the coffee that he was drinking from his weird cup that had the pink bunny on it.

"H-hello," he said after a good kick in the back from Kanda helped him either spit up or swallow the bitter and, now, lukewarm science division liquid of life. "Is something the matter?"

The samurai handed Neko, who cried herself to sleep after the akuma attack, to me and began looking around the room. One satisfied that the room was secure he went to the closed door and locked it. The head of the science division stared at us questioningly. As the long haired man sat down next to me on the couch, I handed the child back him, considering that she was getting restless away from him.

"What is going on?" I bit my lip and looked at him pleadingly.

"You have to promise that you won't tell a soul outside this room," I said, well, more like begged. He nodded, obviously curious as to why I was seemed so desperate and why Kanda was, somehow, more tense than usual. I took a deep breath and wrung my hands together in my lap. "Neko can detect akuma."

I watched as his eyes widened. Kanda held the young exorcist closer, being careful to not squish her or awaken her. Almost unconsciously, my hand flew to one of his and gave it a light squeeze. As unbelievable as it was, he didn't push me away or even glare at me. In fact, he almost seemed to relish it at the moment, as if he needed it.

"How?" Komui looked like he was trembling. He knew just as well as Kanda and I did what Neko's fate would be if the top brass of the order found out about her ability. As a person that could also detect the poor creatures, I was well aware of just how willing they were to take advantage of such an ability.

"She can smell them. We think that it's part of her innocence." I looked him in the eye, trying my hardest to convey my concern for the girl. "You've got to help us!"

I kept my gaze on him as he got up and approached me. When he put his hands on my shoulders, I was so wound up that it took everything that I had to not just about jump out of my skin. He gave me one of his rare serious looks and I almost collapsed from the tension.

"Of course I'll help you." His grip on my shoulders tightened and his expression turned pained. "I wasn't able to prevent Lenalee from getting hurt, but I can promise you that I'll do everything that I can to keep Neko from ending up like she was. She's already like another little sister and I wouldn't be able to bear it if I have to see another little girl get broken like that. I would tell Lavi and bookman sometime, though if I were you. They are bound to notice and it would be for the best if they are aware that it's a secret."

"Thank you, we'll be sure to tell them," I said, doing my best to keep in the relieved tears that wanted to fall. It felt like all of the bones in my body had melted when I leaned heavily against the back of the couch that I was sitting on. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kanda relax slightly and the ease of tension in the hand that was still in mine was further proof.

"Well," Komui began, his usual chipperness back. "On a brighter note, Neko's room has been arranged and her uniforms are made. The room is right next to Kanda's and her uniforms will already be in there."

"Very well," Kanda said and stood up. I got up too and followed him out the door. The walk to the room was silent. Neither one of us knew what to say and we were both too worried about the girl held securely to the elder's chest to really even try to make conversation anyway. We were fully aware that, even without her ability to detect akuma, her life would be hell. Our work would thrust the horrors of the world that she had yet to experience practically in her face and would prevent her from being a kid. Just like it had with Lenalee, Kanda and me.

"We're going to have to all we can to end this war before she's put in," I concluded aloud as I watched the long-haired man in front of carefully try and change her. He seemed so concentrated on it that I assumed that he hadn't heard me. As soon as I realized that two hands just weren't enough to not only hold her up but change her at the same time, I kneeled down next to the small bed and used one hand to keep her upright and the other to hold her arms up enough for the samurai to get the new nightshirt on her small frame. With our joint effort, we had her fully dressed in sleepwear and her hair braided in no time.

Yet again, I marveled at how gentle he was with her as he tenderly put her under the covers and tucked her in. Despite how mean, cold, cruel and heartless he could be, I couldn't help but think that he made a great father for the little girl. A small, _real_ smile crept up my face as I watched him settle down, sitting against the wall right next to the sleeping child's bed where she would be able to see him clearly as soon as she woke up. Figuring that I should let them have their quality time, I turned to leave, but was stopped by a quiet, almost sorrowful voice.

"You're right."

"What was that?" I asked, turning to look over at my shoulder at the speaker. He was sitting there against the wall just like he was when I turned to leave, but he had his sad, protective gaze fixed to the child.

"I said that you're right, we're going to have to find a way to end this damn war before she gets dragged into it. There's no way in hell that I'm going to let her end up like us." He looked at me, his face still expressionless, but I could have sworn that his eyes were just flooded with emotions. So many that I would never have been able to identify them. "Lavi and you have split personalities, Lenalee suffers bouts of depression and is terrified of being alone, I'm just messed up entirely and we all are always teetering on the edge of insanity. We just can't let that happen to her."

Never had I seen him look so vulnerable. His appearance was just as it always was, cold and stoic, but I knew that it was just a mask. Something in me was painfully aware that the strong man in front of me was on the verge of breaking. Unable and unwilling to resist the sudden compulsion that overcame me, I sat down in front of him and put my hand on one of his that were trembling, possibly without his knowing. Staring up into his eyes, I could, for the first time, see past his defenses and into the heart of the hurt and confused man beneath.

"You don't have to worry," I said, resisting the beyond bizarre urge to wrap my arms around his waist and nuzzle into his chest. Instead, I gave his hand a light squeeze and turned to Neko. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him do the same. "She'll have something that none of us had. People that care about her and will protect her. I can already tell that you'll always be looking out for her, and I will too, and I'm sure that the others will protect her. No matter what, she'll always have a family that'll love her."

"I guess that you're right." He reached up to brush her bangs out of her face and, when he tried to pull his hand back, she grabbed it and held onto some of his fingers tightly. His lips twitched in the beginning of a smile. I smiled at the unbelievable cuteness and sat next to the older man.

"Do you mind if I stay in here for a while?" I asked, ready to get up if I had to. "I _really_ don't want to have to deal with Link right now."

"Hn." Only slightly surprised that he let me stay, I got as comfortable as I could leaning against the wall closed my eyes as I felt sleep creeping up on me.

**Kanda POV**

I bit back a growl as I heard light snores coming from my right. It was a cause of both irritation and relief. Glaring at my hand as it committed mutiny, I thought back to the last few moments. I couldn't believe that acted like that in front of the damn _Moyashi_ of all people. I had no idea why I did that. My only guess that the shock of finding out that Neko could smell akuma caused something in me to temporarily snap. At least that little breakdown happened in front of the moyashi instead of Lavi or Lenalee. They would never let me hear the end of it or try walking on eggshells around me.

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt a hand on my own. Looking to said appendage, I found that the child that was in my care had shifted in her sleep and had, somehow, found my hand and held onto it. Fighting back a small smile, I reached up with my free hand and pulled the blanket back up to her shoulder. Her training started the next day and I couldn't have her getting sick.

Figuring that I may as well get some sleep too, leaned back, ignoring how uncomfortable the wall was. Just as I was about to doze off, I felt the grip on my hand tighten and heard a little groan indicating that Neko was waking up.

"Kanda?" she asked sleepily and sat up, rubbing her eyes. I gave her hand a little squeeze, getting her attention. She quickly scanned the room and fixed her confused gaze on me. "Where are we?"

"Your room," I replied leaning against the wall again. "From now on you will be sleeping in here. My room is right next door if need anything. I'll stay in here tonight, but don't expect me to do it again."

"Okay," she said through a yawn and snuggled back into her covers and was asleep again in an instant. Knowing that the moyashi couldn't hear me, I chuckled.

The next morning I awoke to the sound of the door slamming open. Before I could blink Neko was already behind me, gripping onto the back of my shirt and I felt some weight that was on my right shoulder jump and remove itself. The disturbance that woke us was none other than a beyond pissed looking Link.

I watched in almost awe as he stomped up to the moyashi and, quite literally, grabbed him by his hair and dragged him out of the room.

"Ow, ow! Dang it Link! You could have just told me to get up! There's no need to be so rough!" was all we could hear as the voice faded down the hall. There was a moment of silence as Neko and I stared at the empty doorway, stunned.

"That was weird." I nodded, stood up and lifted her up, heading for the bathroom to get her cleaned up and ready for the day. "Kanda?"

"Hn."

"Why is your shirt wet?" I halted mid step as she pressed down on the damp spot as if to make a point and noticed the little fact for the first time.

"…" Continuing what I was doing I made a mental note to give the moyashi a good whack as realization hit me. The weight I had felt on my shoulder was him. some time during the night he must have somehow shifted and ended up leaning on me and drooled in his sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Sadistic-neko: Sorry that it took me so long get this up. I've had school and decided to actually take the time to reread this before I posted it for once so there should be less careless mistakes than normal. (feels something tugging on her pants leg and looks down to find Neko there)

Neko: (looks up author with wide adorable eyes) nee-san?

Sadistic-neko: (glomps child that is the embodiment of cuteness) SO CUTE! (moment of silence) Shouldn't you be with your tou-san and daddy?

Neko: They ran off to tou-san's room and left me with uncle usagi but he and uncle Tyki ran off too.

Sadistic-neko: Okay then, why don't we do the disclaimer to pass some time until they get here?

Neko: Okay.

Both: (turns to readers) Sadistic-neko does not own -man and hopes that y'all enjoy this new chapter.

**Allen POV**

I watched Kanda and Neko interact with a small smile on my face. It had been about three months since the ebony haired man found her and, as I had predicted, the cold, heartless samurai was changing for the better. At the moment, they were in the middle of her Japanese lesson. Like everything else we did to teach her, it was turned into a game.

"It goes 'woof'," Kanda said, getting into the little game of charades (with more noise, of course) that he played with her. "It's also furry and has a tail that wags."

"Doggy?" she exclaimed excitedly and gave him a bright smile, one of her front bottom teeth missing having been her first baby tooth to come free.

"In Japanese?" he asked, following the rules that he himself had made. At the beginning of the "game" he would point out different objects or show her pictures of what word he wanted to teach her and tell her what they were called in both English and his native language. Later, often during lunch or some other break that she would get in the midst of her training, he would sit her down and giver her hints about what he wanted her to say. She would try to figure it out and then say what it was in English then he would ask her to repeat the word in Japanese.

As a reward for getting it right, he would let her eat one more extra order of dango and, on occasion, play with his hair (I almost died laughing the first time he let her do that. She went so far as to braid the black strands and, somehow managed to tangle them into something that I honestly thought was going to try and eat the comb that he was attempting to get through it to fix it. He just grumbled and never even spoke any louder than you would in a casual conversation.). She was doing _very_ well and didn't get too many wrong.

"Inu!" my smile grew wider as he patted her on her head affectionately and took a small mouthful of soba, not even the slightest bit awkward showing her such tender care.

"Correct." He paused for a minute, going over the list of words he laid out for her earlier that day. The topic he chose, which he always did to make it easier for the both of them to remember, was animals. "It hops has big ears and your tutor and uncle is one."

"Bunny! Usagi!" I found her enthusiasm so adorable. Not to mention that I couldn't help but let out a small giggle because of Kanda's hint. A few months prior, I wouldn't have been able to imagine him talking like that, let alone saying "uncle usagi" to her when it was time to take her to the junior bookman when she had to go to her other studies (she was learning how to read and write and simple math from him. We decided that as she got older he would add history, science and more advanced math to his lesson plans. He offered to teach her Japanese too, but Kanda demanded that he would be the one to do it.).

Just like Lavi was now "uncle usagi" other member of the order also had new titles. Jerry, Marie, Reever and Krorly were her "uncles" as well. Miranda was her "aunt" and the Lee siblings were nee-chan and nii-san. Bookman and, to Kanda's everlasting chagrin, Teidol were officially dubbed her "grandfathers". All in all, she had become very comfortable at the order and wormed her way into everyone's hearts.

Her new family aside, she was also excelling in her innocence training. She was a natural! From the beginning, she seemed to have almost flawless control of "cat's claw". We took her to Hevlaska once to determine her synchronization rate and it was 70%! That was almost as good as mine was when I first entered the order. Since then, we were more determined than ever to end the war before she had to fight. If she was this good already, then it was a possibility that her innocence was the "heart" that everyone was looking for, and, if that was the case, she would end up number one on the Earl's hitlist.

"Kanda!" came a familiar voice, snapping me out of my revere. I looked up to find Krorly, one of the few wielders of a parasitic type innocence, like Neko and me, whose teeth was his anti-akuma weapon. He ran up to us, his black and white bangs bouncing comically until he stopped, leaning on his knees as he caught his breath.

"Hello, Krory," I said with a typical small smile and Neko waved animatedly. Kanda, being Kanda, gave him a glare, toning it down a little to be polite in his own way. Having become used to it, the vamparic exorcist just straightened up and concentrated his gaze on the other.

"Supervisor Komui asked me to let you know that he wishes to speak with you." The tension rose exponentially in an instant. I watched as Kanda went stiff and I balled my hands into fists. We all knew what those few words would mean. Kanda was going to be sent on a mission.

"Very well," he responded through tightly clenched teeth, trying his best to not let Neko know that something was wrong. "I will go to his office as soon as I take neko back to her room for a nap."

Without another word, he picked her up, trusting me to take care of their dishes and left. As I watched his back retreating, I couldn't but worry. He was the little girl's main source of comfort, the closest thing that she had to a father and he was going to have to leave for a while. Not only would she be devastated, but it would affect him too. He would probably be worrying about her the entire time and that would just make everything all the more dangerous for him. all I could really do was hope for the best and be there for the both of them as well as I could until he was, hopefully, safely home and taking care of her again.

A slow and agonizing two hours later found me waiting outside of the crazy burette wearing man's office. Link eyed me intently as I fidgeted in my unease. I was dreading the news that I was sure was to come. That was when the door opened, practically causing me to jump out of my skin. I was a little more prepared for the loud bang of the door slamming shut as the irate samurai began stomping off in the direction of our charge's room.

"What's going on?" I asked, praying to any deity that would care to listen that it wasn't what I was fearing. I guessed that, being the damn vessel of the fourteenth's memories put a stupid "screw with my life as you please" sing on my back.

"I'm being sent off to a piece of shit akuma extermination mission in _Poland_ of all places. I'm to leave as soon as I get packed." The entire sentence was said through a snarl and my "Kanda temper" gauge was going off the charts. Never had I seen him _this_ thoroughly pissed.

"Why though?" I asked, confused as hell. "Komui knows how much Neko needs you. Why would he send you out when she still needs so much training?"

"It wasn't his orders." I stopped dead in my tracks. The only other people that could assign missions was the top brass. If they were going through all of the trouble of finding some insignificant mission like this to send him off, then that meant that they probably had their eyes on Neko.

"Damn it!" I swore quietly and ran to catch up with him seeing as he hadn't stopped moving. "What are we going to do? We can't let them get their claws in her!"

"You're going to have to keep an eye on her. The baka usagi and I already came up with a plan in case this happened. He will keep watch over her during the night and you will take his place during the day. No matter what, you can't leave her side. Stay with her whenever you can, even when she's taking her nap and do what you have to. Even if she wasn't too young, she hasn't had enough training to go out in the field. If we aren't careful, she'll find herself there before she could comprehend what's going on."

Despite everything that was being said, and I was listening to it, I couldn't help but think, _Holy shit. Kanda and Lavi __**actually**__ sat down long enough to come up with a plan without Kanda trying to kill him. Miracles __**do**__ happen._

Before I knew it, we were standing in front of the child's room. We both knew that, to the top brass of the order, the orders, "leave as soon as you pack" meant that you were to leave pretty much yesterday, but neither of us cared. We knew that there would be no way in hell that he would leave without saying good bye to her first and explaining why he had to leave so she wouldn't feel abandoned. She had been walked out on by enough people as it was. My eyes never left the tense man as he quietly opened the door and stepped inside. I followed at his heels and we both walked to her bed and stopped just next to it in time to see her eyes flutter.

"Kanda? Awen?" her sleepy little voice drifted lazily to our ears. Kanda kneeled down and helped her dig herself out of the covers. Once she was free, she looked at us both, taking in the tense atmosphere and how upset we probably looked. "Is something wong?"

"I have to leave for a little while," Kanda sighed. I just about cried when a horrified expression came upon her face and she gripped onto the older man's shirt in desperation.

"You can't go!" she cried out, little tears coming out of her beautiful green eyes. "I don't want you to!"

"I have to." His hand curled into a tight fist.

"Why? Have I been bad?" Both of our gazes, which had been adverted, not wanting to see her cry, snapped to her. Immediately, I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed, almost in tears myself. "He was ordered to. Our bosses are making him go somewhere for work. He'll be back as soon as he can!"

"Reawy?" In an instant, she was no longer in my arms. Slightly confused, I looked up and found that the samurai had stolen her from my grasp and was holding her in a tight embrace.

"I promise that I will finish this mission fast as possible, okay?" she nodded, her hands fisted in his shirt with all of the strength that her little arms had. "Your uncle usagi will be teaching you Japanese while I'm gone. If you're good for him and moyashi, then I'll give you a special present. Does that sound good?"

She hummed her approval and wrapped her arms around him as far as she could reach. After a moment, he carefully freed himself and gave her to me. Our eyes met and that brief look was all that we needed to convey our thoughts to each other. He was trusting me to take care of the current center of his world and most important thing in his life and I was letting him know that he had better come back safe or I would beat him to a pulp.

With this understanding, he gave her one last pat on the head and left the room to pack all that he would need. Neko and I made sure to meet him at the door for one last goodbye before he set off.

"Come back safe," I said, almost choking on the words. Something in me just didn't want to see him leave, had rejected even the thought of not seeing his grumpy self at the table in the cafeteria that we shared with the child that was under our care. I just knew that I would go nuts without being able to observe his tender and loving (though he wouldn't admit it) interactions with the fair haired little girl.

He nodded and said girl ran up to him and hugged his legs fiercely. I watched as she lifted one of her hands up and tugged on his shirt as a silent request for him to kneel down to her level. Without a word, he did so.

"I'll miss you." He let out the softest, smallest smile possible and gave her a short squeeze and pulled away, but not before saying one last thing to her before heading out the doors to go to the station to catch his train. (where he was going I had yet to be able to set up a gate.)

"I'll miss you too. Behave for the others while I'm gone. I'll be back before you know it."


	10. Chapter 10

Sadistic-neko: Hi everybody, sorry that it took me so long to get this up. You see, when Kanda and Allen found out that Lavi and Tyki ran off without finding someone to watch Neko, they got pissed and I had to break them up and then school got in the way and…

Kanda: Stop making excuses and get on with the story. I'm sick of being in Poland.

Sadistic-neko: Fine. (huffs and looks to the readers) Just to warn all of you, this holds spoilers for stuff that isn't in the anime, I do not own -man and I hope that y'all enjoy my newest chapter!

**Kanda POV**

A good _three damn weeks_ after I was sent out on the bullshit mission that the top brass assigned for me I was packing my bags to head back to the order. It took me four days to get to the town that was literally in the most out of the way place you could find. It was located on the side of a mountain and, normally, the view would have moved me at least a little, but I just couldn't find the energy or space in my mind to really appreciate it. I was worrying about Neko too much to.

The bastards in charge didn't even try to hide that they wanted to use the child. Knowing that they could get their hands on her and I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it was driving me nuts! Every time that I wasn't preoccupied with killing whatever akuma that was in front of my I saw images of her blonde hair, bright green eyes and smiling face. Whenever I thought about her, my chest would hurt and it took everything I had not to go against my orders and return as soon as I could, even if I had to run and sit with the hobos on trains.

The only thing that kept me form doing so was the knowledge the moyashi was looking over her. Ever since he helped me in the Alma incident I had developed a grudging trust of him. He was still an annoying sprout, but he wasn't worthless anymore. As often as we still fought, even if it died down considerably since Neko was put into our care, it was a bit more friendly, as though playful banter. That is, until one us crossed the line and attacked and even that wasn't wholehearted.

As I put the last of my possessions in my suitcase, I gave the clock a quick glance and groaned. There was still two hours until my train arrived and the inn I was staying was literally right next to the station. In other words, I had too much time to kill. Having nothing better to do, I grabbed my bag, signed out of the inn and entered the market place.

I walked past stand after stand, looking but not really paying any attention to what the pushy traders had to sell. Nothing really caught my eye, which wasn't surprising. I was never one for shopping. In my opinion, the only thing that you needed was enough changes of clothes to last until the next laundry day, food and other such necessities that one can't survive without. This being the case, I was surprised when I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made me stop mid step.

Without wasting a second, I made my way to the stand and began looking for a price tag on the item I was now determined to purchase.

"Can I help you?" I elderly voice asked to my right. I looked up to see an almost bone thin old man with a pointed mustache and squinty eyes behind his thick glasses.

"How much is this necklace?" I asked in return, pointing to the item that had caught my interest. It was an ornate piece that held two glossy and, to be frank, beautiful, stones. The first was an orb of fiery amber tiger's eye and the other was a dazzling emerald that reminded me of Neko's eyes. The gems were held in place with an intricately twisted silver wire in the shape of various flowers. Surprising, as extravagant as the pendant was, it was held by a simple leather strap that, somehow, made it more appealing.

"You have a good eye," he commented, pulling it off of its stand. "For an esteemed exorcist such as yourself, 300."

It didn't surprise me that he knew what I was. After all, I had been seen fighting and rumors spread like wild fire in a town as small as the one that I was currently located in. Not really caring about the price, I handed him the info for the bill and put the necklace in my coat pocket. The money for my purchase would come directly out of my account at the order, and, unlike most of the other members, despite our awful salary, I had plenty save up to spend.

"Pardon my asking sir, but for whom are you getting this for?" I was sorely tempted to glare at the old man and tell him that it wasn't any of his business, but I felt charitable so I gave him an answer.

"I promised someone waiting for me at home that I would giver her a present if she behaved while I was gone."

"A daughter perhaps?" He raised a brow, clearly thinking that I was too young to have a child of my own.

"You could say that." Without leaving room for another comment or question, I turned my back on him and left. I had, somehow, killed almost all of the time that I had to wander around and had to began venturing to the station of I was going to miss my train.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief as I sank into the, typical, granite hard seat in the car that I had to myself. I still had a few days of journey ahead of me, but I could already feel the stress in my shoulders relax as the train began to chug along, bringing ever so slowly closer to "home" and the child waiting for me. Gripping the pendant in my pocket ever so gently, I began to drift off, vaguely wondering if it was a good idea to give such a young girl a gift as expensive as it, but not really caring.

**Allen POV**

"Awen, Awen!" a cheerful little voice exclaimed, drawing my attention immediately. The little voice in question was Neko. We were currently outside in the order's garden. "Lookie!"

I turned my attention to her arms, which she was frantically nudging towards me to emphasize her burden. Encircled in the tiny appendages was an assortment of vividly colored flowers.

"Wow!" I said a little bit more enthusiastic than I felt. "They're so pretty!"

I gave her a smile as she beamed up at me proudly. This was the happiest she had been in the almost month since Kanda left we had just found out a couple of hours earlier that he was going to be back that very day. As happy as I was to know that he was at least alive, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that I had.

It wasn't the foreboding, something terrible is going to happen that will end the world feeling, that I was accustomed to having. Everyday Neah, the fourteenth noah that was inhabiting my body, was becoming more and more clear in my reflection. In fact, the only time that I had seen him as well as then was during the Alma Karma incident. He was also bizarrely quiet. It was scaring the heck out of me.

"Awen?" I focused on the child again, having begun staring blankly into space at some point. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, praying to god, if he hadn't forsaken me like I felt most of the time, that I wouldn't hurt her. My master's words coming back to me in a way similar to having ice water poured on you.

"_What would you do if I told you you'll have to kill someone you love when you become the 14__th__?"_

I had pushed that out of my mind, trying as hard as I could to not believe it. There was no way that I would let that happen! I refused to hurt any of my friends! Or Neko for that matter!

"Allen-chan! Neko-chan!" Neko and I both looked up to see who was calling out to us. We were greeted by the sight of Lavi running up to us, a grin that was, somehow, larger than normal, painted on his face. I watched in astonishment as he came skidding to a halt right in front of us, stopping an inch from our noses, his flaming red hair slowly allowing gravity to let it fall in his face. He had decided not to wear his bandana.

"Lavi?" I asked as he bent over leaning supporting himself with his hands on his knees. In all honesty, I was worried for his health. "Are you okay? What's up?"

"Kanda (gasp) front gate (gasp)." I didn't even have time to blink before Neko began running to said destination with me at her heels leaving Lavi in our dust. I wasn't sure why, but I was almost as desperate to see the moody samurai as she was.

The corridors of the order flew by us in a blur, but we still felt that we weren't moving fast enough. I could vaguely make out the confused expressions of the finders as we zoomed by, but I didn't care. All that was on my mind was that someone that I just needed to see was ahead of me, just a few corners away and the one that I was most determined to protect was running just ahead of me. I didn't even care that Link was right behind me or that I could catch Neah's cruel, ever-present smirk in anything reflective that we passed.

At last, nowhere near soon enough, Neko and I found ourselves at the gate just as the doors opened to reveal the very man that we were both waiting so anxiously for.

"Kanda!" Neko yelled as she jumped for him. Shocked to see her flying at him as soon as he stepped through, he barely caught her as she collided with him. As soon as her momentum stopped, she threw her arms around him. "Kanda, I missed you!"

Still getting over his shock, he just stared at her wide eyed, but, after a moment, he hugged her back.

"I missed you too." After that, we just stayed as we were, a content silence falling over us. I was so comfortable watching the two of them bond that I couldn't feel the anxiety that had been drowning me. The silence was broken when Kanda looked up at me and spoke. "Has she been good?"

"A little angel," I responded, my lips curling into the genuine smile that to be saved only for the Japanese man and the little girl that was currently curled up in his arms. "She's been doing well in her trainings, behaved during her lessons and even helped Lenalee bring coffee to the science division every morning."

"Really now," he began, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a beautiful necklace that just seemed perfect for her. "I guess I should keep my promise then." He put the wonderful piece around her neck and she looked like it was a gift form God. "You deserve it."

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms back around him and squeezing him with all that she was worth. I could see his mask slipping off more and more as the seconds passed, but he was able to just barely keep it on and merely nodded at her exuberant show of gratitude.

With that, he got up, situated her on his right hip and grabbed his luggage and began making his way to his room. I followed behind him, finally getting him to let me take one of his bags so he would be able to walk a bit easier. Just before we got to his door though, Neko asked something that left us stunned and would, in one way or another, change the samurai forever.

"Kanda? Can I call you tou-san?"


	11. Chapter 11

Sadistic-neko: Hi everybody! I would like to apologize in advance that this chap is so short, but I got to where I wanted the chapter break much sooner than expected.

Kanda: This better be pretty damn good to make up for the length.

Sadistic-neko: even if it wasn't what would you be able to do? I rule your life right now. I could make it hell for you if I wanted.

Kanda: (growls)

Sadistic-neko: (turns to readers) I do not own -man and I hope that y'all enjoy my newest chap!

**Kanda POV**

"Kanda? Can I call you tou-san?" As soon as I heard the softly spoken words, I froze. I couldn't help but stare at the child in total awe. Had I really just heard what I thought that I heard? Was there any way that she really asked that?

I watched as she stared right back at me, her beautiful green eyes wide and expectant. It was then that my mind went into turmoil. As much as I wanted to say "yes", to accept this little girl as my own, I wasn't sure that I was really ready to be her tou-san. Most of all, I wasn't sure that I was the right person to be her father figure.

Out of everyone in the order, I was the most unstable. It took almost nothing to piss me off to the point that I wanted to go on a killing rampage. Even before I "killed" Alma when we were children, I had a hot temper. After, the only thing that I devoted my life to was training and my missions.

Would someone like that be suitable to raise her as more than a temporary guardian?

Shocking as it was, though, I wasn't the one that really made the decision. Just as Neko was starting to look like she was getting worried that she upset me, the moyashi put his hand on my shoulder. It drew my attention at once and, as my tormented, confused gaze met his calm, kind silvery eyes, I was overcome with peace.

Those eyes held something that I both needed, even if I didn't realize it, and, in more ways that I thought possible, wanted. They were understanding. He was looking at me as, not an exorcist, second generation or no, but as a person. He clearly saw how much the question shook me and that one look told me all that I needed. I was not only accepted, but supported. It was almost as if I could read his mind as I gazed into his oddly captivating and beautiful orbs.

_You can do this. Go for it._ So I did.

"Of course you can!" I hugged her close and, probably for the first time in years, allowed my lips to curl into a truly happy and relieved smile as, astoundingly, tears of what could only be pure, unadulterated joy ran down my cheeks. Luckily, the moyashi had, at some point or another while I was distracted, ushered us into my room and closed to the door so nobody was there to witness the rare sight that I would be damned if anybody but the present company could see.

It kind of stuck me as odd that I didn't care that the _moyashi_ of all people was seeing me in such a weak state. I had no idea when that happen, but what did it really matter? We were able to keep his stalker out and I was more comfortable and content than I had been since the scientist as the Asian branch revived me with the second exorcist program.

**Allen POV**

I just stood there in content silence. As long as I had known Kanda, I had never seen him as happy as he was when he told Neko that she could call him her father in his native tongue. (I only knew what it meant since I sat in on a few of her Japanese lessons with Lavi.) If this moment was anything to go by, Hevlaska was right. The amazing child that was still in Kanda's arms looking like she go the best Christmas present ever was indeed a great healer.

I could feel the effects of being around her too. It was so much easier to forget that I could very well lose my mind and body at any moment. Most importantly though, I felt more complete than I had since Mana died and I was able to enjoy life more.

"_Well, isn't that cute?"_ a chilling voice asked in what I could have sworn was my ear. I shivered, knowing that voice _too_ well. _"In fact, it makes me want to __**puke**__."_

I curled my left hand, the one that held my innocence, into a tight fist. So much for him being quiet.

_What do you want Neah?_ He chuckled and I could almost feel his breath against me ear. Then, out of nowhere, I felt something grab onto my hair and pull, hard. In the reflection from the cracked window, I was able to see that Neah was the one that was trying to yank my scalp from my head.

How was that possible though? As far as I was aware, he was only another person that was in my head since he implanted his memories in me at some time that I couldn't imagine. Unless it was the few times that he was able to take control of my body, he wasn't usually able to do anything.

"_Now, I wonder," _he began. I was _certain_ that I felt his breath this time, along with the ice cold hand that was caressing my face, the nails scraping against my cheek lightly. _"What could I possibly want?" _There was a pause as he looked around interestedly. Another chill went down my spine as he turned his, for lack of a better word, evil smile to me. _"How about the body that should rightfully be __**mine**__ now?"_

He glared at me and I felt a sensation that I had only experienced at one other point in my life. He lowered his hand from my face and lunged his physical, yet somehow not, hand into my chest. The world began to blur as it felt like he gripped my heart. I was only vaguely aware of the pained scream I let out. The only thing that I was aware of was the other people in the room and how worried the elder of the two looked as I began to collapse.

"Aren!" he screamed, using one hand to keep me from falling completely. "What's going on?"

"Tou-san?" a little, terrified voice asked from the other side of his chest. "I-is Awen okay?"

I may have let out a whimper. All I knew was that the world was getting darker and darker and that awful chuckle, almost cackling laughter, was getting louder and more eerie.

Kanda: (hugs Neko and glares at author) You're a real bitch.

Sadistic-neko: I know.

Neko: (looks to author with watery eyes) Will Awen be okay?

Sadistic-neko: (grins evilly) You'll just have to wait and find out.


	12. Chapter 12

Sadistic-neko: Sorry that it took so long to update. I had writer's block again.

Kanda: You must get it once a week.

Sadistic-neko: If you're going to be mean I'm going to lock you in a room with Lavi and you'll be tied up so you can't try to kill him.

Kanda: Bitch.

Sadistic-neko: (smiles) I know that already, the readers have been subtlety call me that since the last chap's cliffhanger. Now then (turns to readers) I do not own -man and I hope that y'all enjoy my latest chap.

**Kanda POV**

I hugged Neko, no, _my daughter_, to me tighter. I had never thought that I would ever see anyone as my true family. As impossible as it seemed, though, the small girl that was wrapped in my arms could only be called that. My heart felt like it could explode in happiness. The moment ended though with the sound of someone screaming in agonizing pain.

Horrified I looked up to the source only to find the moyashi falling. Getting up and running as fast as I could, I reached out with one hand and grabbed him before he could hit the floor.

"Aren!" I screamed, using his name for the first time, though my accent made it not come out exactly right. "What's going on?"

"Tou-san," Neko began terrified as I let her down so I could pick the white-haired male up and carry him to the infirmary. "I-is Awen okay?"

"I," I gulped, not completely sure how to answer. "I'm not sure." I started heading for the door. "Let's go see if the doctor can figure out."

I tried my damnedest not to seem half as scared as I was so she wouldn't get any more upset. To tell the truth, though, I was completely terrified. Even in our most horrible battles and when I had seen him get some of the worse injuries that I had seen inflicted on anybody, I had never heard him scream like that. Whatever it was, only the doctor or Komui would be able to help.

The instant I opened the door, Link was there with a talisman ready. I only just dodged it.

"What do you think you're doing!" I yelled, holding the boy in my arms more protectively. The other man just glared and kept his attention trained on the unconscious exorcist.

"Don't play dumb," he began in a cold voice. "I'm doing my job, or can you not sense the 14th gaining control of him?"

I glared right back. It was true that I was too frantic to properly sense it. I also knew just how dangerous the 14th could be, but there was no way in hell that I was going to let that ass touch him! The moyashi had nothing but fought valiantly for the order, sacrificing his freedom so that he could continue trying to save the akuma. Even though my belief that it was foolish hadn't completely changed, I knew that he was a good person and that he was fighting with everything that he had so that he wouldn't hurt anyone.

"I don't care." My voice was colder than ice. "Now I suggest that you move so I can get him to the infirmary or I will move you myself with Mugen."

"I can't. If that noah gets free in the order it would be a disaster. I have my orders and I will follow them."

"Then you're a fool." He stared at me, stunned for a moment. Never once had I displayed such a sense of self. Sure, I had rebelled, openly showed my distaste for my mission and so on, but I never gone against an order. I could see Link fighting with himself though. It would only take one careful push to get him to back off.

"Give me one reason to let you pass." He looked as though he were begging me, as if following his orders was the last thing that he wanted to do.

"The moyashi pushed the 14th back before. I'm willing to bet that he can do it again." I didn't know what had gotten into me. Since when had I held so much faith in him?

He paused as though shocked. I used that as my chance to rush by with Neko right at my heels. We ran down the halls fast as the wind, praying that Link would stay stunned long enough for us to get the demonic doctor's protection. She was one scary ass bitch but she wouldn't let anybody so much as _touch_ one of her patients without her consent.

"Sensei!" I screamed, forgetting to add a sharp comment or name. In an instant five heads at least shot up and the head doc's eyes widened as they landed on the moyashi in my arms.

In the few moments that it took us to make it to the infirmary he had only gotten worse. His eyes were scrunched up and sweat was pouring down his face in rivers. He had a death grip on my shirt and I couldn't believe that his skin had somehow become whiter than his hair.

"What happened to him?" the old lady asked pulling out her stethoscope and checking his pulse. Before I could answer though, she began pulling me towards the nearest gurney. "Put him down here."

"I think it's the 14th." She stopped dead as I put him on said object. Everyone in the order had been informed on the moyashi's "condition" after the Alma incident. Without a doubt, she knew exactly what I meant and was horrified. She was evil as hell when it came to being still when in her care and trying not to get injured, but we all knew that she cared for us like her children or grandchildren.

"I'll call Komui, take him to that room over there and we'll be there as soon as we can." She ran off before I could so much as nod my head. Able to do nothing else, I rolled him over to the room. Once I transferred him over to the bed I sat in the nearby chair and Neko curled up in my lap, shivering.

"Is Awen going to die?" she asked burying her tear stained face in my shirt. I wrapped my arms around her trembling form and held her tight. How was I supposed to answer her? I didn't think that his _body_ would die (the 14th wouldn't allow that) but I wasn't so sure about his mind. When he awoke, would he be the same Moyashi that I knew and had grown to grudgingly respect. The thought that we would have to kill him if he wasn't disturbed me more than anything else.

"I don't know Neko, I don't know."

It didn't take long for the head doctor and Komui to run through the door. They looked like they had seen a ghost and were panting like they had run the entire way from the science department.

"Oh god," the crazy scientist muttered. In the few minutes it took for them to get there, the moyashi's skin had fluctuated between his normal creamy white color and the horrible olive tan that belonged only to the noah. Neko and I could only stare as the stigma formed along his forehead and on his hands. I still couldn't bring myself to tell her what was going on. To tell the truth, I was beginning to feel numb.

"Do you think that he'll pull through?" I asked, my eyes never leaving the now still form lying on the bed before me.

"I certainly hope so." He collapsed into a nearby chair. "For all of our sakes, I hope so."

I knew what he meant. Most of the exorcists, including myself, had lost their sense of humanity. All that any of our lives really consisted of anymore was our orders. The moyashi and his compassion and willingness to go against orders when they didn't go well with him was like a breath of fresh air. For the first time in years we were people again, not tools. As much as I hated to admit it, we needed him. To think I hadn't realized just how much until I was faced with the high chance that we would lose him. not even the time I stabbed him when I was out of control fighting Alma made me this afraid for him.

**Allen POV**

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a sickeningly familiar place tied to the same chair I was in the last time Neah brought me there. I looked up and found the very ass that I knew would be there. I smirked as he glared at me. Next to Kanda, the guy was my favorite to aggravate. If he was mad then that meant that he wasn't in control. What could be better?

"Is something the matter?" I asked much more cockily than I felt. "Something not going according to your little plan?"

"What the hell did you do you little bastard?" he bellowed, face turning a little red under his olive complexion. "Your body should be mine!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. As far as I know you can control my body whenever you want." I felt the sting before I could comprehend that I was slapped. I turned my head from where it was snapped to from the blow to stare at him evenly.

He was mad, but it wasn't the kind where he would be standing there half bent over panting and out of control. This anger was more calculated, careful. He was planning something.

"Tell me, why do you resist?" I narrowed my eyes. There was a feeling in my gut that I wouldn't like what was coming next. "Nobody really cares about you out there. They're using you. Once they no longer need you, they're going to kill you. Wouldn't it just be better to give in and destroy them before they can you?"

"No," I began horrified. "They aren't like that. Not my friends."

Try as I might, though, images flew through my head. Kanda holding Mugen up to my throat, Lenalee slapping me and more. Did they really care about me like I thought? Did I mean anything to them?

"There, there." I felt a hand on my shoulder that was oddly warm, like someone that I knew my entire life and had all of the answers. "I know that it's painful, but you don't have to live with it. I can take it all away. All you need to do is let go."

The voice was so calming. I could feel myself drifting to sleep. A wonderful oblivion was waiting for me, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. A nagging thought that this guy was bad.

"But," I barely got out.

"Hush, there's noting to worry about, just let it drift away. If I take control you'll never be hurt by those awful people ever again."

Darkness crawled into my vision. It didn't take long before I was hanging onto awareness by a thread. Was this guy really so bad?

"Awen." The little voice rang in the darkness, sweet as a bell. I couldn't help smiling as I heard it. It was just so innocent and could only belong to a child. I pictured an adorable little girl with wheat colored hair pulled up in a high ponytail and wide green eyes purer than any emerald that I had ever seen.

"Moyashi." I felt my eyebrow tick. Damn that name. I wasn't a freaking bean sprout! As much as I hated the name, though, it gave me a sense of familiarity. It was comforting in its own way. Something in me just knew that it belong to someone strong and awkward with his feelings. Images of a man with long black hair chasing a bizarre red blur flowed through my mind and made me chuckle.

"Are you ready to give this up Allen?" yet another voice asked, though much closer. It awoken something in me that made me feel like a small child again. My hand went up to my left eye as it grew strangely warm. Curious as to whom was speaking, I turned to my left and was met with the towering figure I could never forget.

"Mana?" My hand feel from my eye in shock. Was this really the only father I had ever known standing right before me. "Is that you Mana?"

He leaned closer to me and put his hands on my shoulders the same way that he used to when I was a small child. I just about cried when his face came into my vision. It was the same painted face that saved me all those years ago. Without another thought I hugged him and sobbed into his jacket. His arms wrapped around me and patted my back.

"Allen, you have too much waiting for you out there to stop fighting now. If you give in now, those two will grieve. Do you want that? You care for them so much. Have you forgotten your promise to me?"

"Never!" I just about screamed. The only reason it didn't some out like that was that it was muffled by his jacket. "I promised that I would never stop walking."

In less than a second I was facing the opposite direction. Mana was standing perfectly straight again with his hand on the small of my back pushing it gently.

"Then you best get started again."


	13. author note

Sadistic-neko: (glares at laptop) Grrrrrrrrr

Kanda: What's her problem?

Allen: Not sure.

Sadistic-neko: I CAN'T DECIDE DAMMIT!

Lavi: Decide what?

Sadistic-neko: TO HELL WITH IT, I'LL ASK THE READER (turns to readers) I vowed that I would never EVER make a chapter from an author's note, but I really need help. I have two possible ideas for how this thing with Neah will end, so please help me pick which one to use.

Choice 1: Neah flat out goes bye-bye (yes I did just use five-year old terms) with an already planned out way involving Mana,

Choice 2: Neah stays but it's kind of like how Yoh gets Hoa to not destroy the world in the Shaman King manga. (for those of you that don't know, he agrees to watch and see if the gang can change his opinion of humans)

Please tell me what you think I should do via reviews.

Kanda: For those of you wondering why she doesn't make a poll, she is so technology retarded that she can't figure out how.

Allen: (lightly slaps samurai) Be nice.

Sadistic-neko: It's alright, it's true after all.


	14. Chapter 14

Sadistic-neko: Hi everyone. I would love to thank all of the readers for voting and I hope that I was able to satisfy all of you. Now the winner is choice number (Ooooooooooooohhhhhh, dramatic pause) you'll find out soon enough! Now, I do have one thing to say before I get to the good stuff that y'all have been waiting for… okay actually two. 1 No bitching if the choice you voted for didn't win. It was a fair vote and I wrote what the results told me to. If you don't believe me then check the reviews for the last chapter and try telling me I'm wrong. 2 I am sorry to those that I promised I would update during the weekend to. I did so without thinking about the essay and other project due that I had to get done and this was finished as soon I as I could get around to it. I will announce the results of the vote at the bottom of this chapter. I do not own -man and I hope that y'all enjoy my latest chapter!

I took the first step forward. It felt like I was walking through a sea of tar. Everything was black and suffocating and I could hardly move. Luckily, though, every step came easier. Memories came back to me one by one, all of them happy.

_"It goes 'woof'," Kanda said, getting into the little game of charades (with more noise, of course) that he played with her. "It's also furry and has a tail that wags."_

"_Doggy?" she exclaimed excitedly and gave him a bright smile, one of her front bottom teeth missing having been her first baby tooth to come free. _

I chuckled. They were both so cute together. I couldn't wait to get back to them and was willing to tread the fiery pits of hell to do it.

"_How's work going?" Lenalee asked as I took of the pumpkin head I wore as I helped Miranda with her work. _

"_Great, we sold a lot of tickets."_

"_Wow Allen," Lavi said as I racked in my winnings from my last round. The men that had conned Kror_y _were now in their underwear. "You sure are winning a lot, normally you have no luck."_

"_I'm cheating of course," I replied discretely loading my hand. _

"_What!" I smiled evilly and could feel the redhead next to me start to shudder._

"_Well it's three against one so I figure it's fair."_

That was the first time anyone in the order, excluding master, had ever seen my, as they dubbed it, "black side". Everything was so simple then. I didn't have to worry about the 14th and the Earl just wanted to kill me.

_Never had I seen him look so vulnerable. His appearance was just as it always was, cold and stoic, but I knew that it was just a mask. Something in me was painfully aware that the strong man in front of me was on the verge of breaking. Unable and unwilling to resist the sudden compulsion that overcame me, I sat down in front of him and put my hand on one of his that were trembling, possibly without his knowing. Staring up into his eyes, I could, for the first time, see past his defenses and into the heart of the hurt and confused man beneath._

"_You don't have to worry," I said, resisting the beyond bizarre urge to wrap my arms around his waist and nuzzle into his chest. Instead, I gave his hand a light squeeze and turned to Neko. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him do the same. "She'll have something that none of us had. People that care about her and will protect her. I can already tell that you'll always be looking out for her, and I will too, and I'm sure that the others will protect her. No matter what, she'll always have a family that'll love her." _

"_I guess that you're right." He reached up to brush her bangs out of her face and, when he tried to pull his hand back, she grabbed it and held onto some of his fingers tightly. His lips twitched in the beginning of a smile. I smiled at the unbelievable cuteness and sat next to the older man._

"_Do you mind if I stay in here for a while?" I asked, ready to get up if I had to. "I really don't want to have to deal with Link right now."_

"_Hn." Only slightly surprised that he let me stay, I got as comfortable as I could leaning against the wall closed my eyes as I felt sleep creeping up on me._

Even now I could feel that same urge to hug him and, oddly enough, to feel his strong arms around me. I figured that despite how well he was progressing with allowing human contact thanks to Neko, he would probably try to stab me. I could dream though.

"_Aren!" he screamed, using one hand to keep me from falling completely. "What's going on?"_

I paused. That's right, Kanda called out my name and kept me from falling. A smile crept onto my face. Okay, maybe he wouldn't stab me if I tried to hug him. Still smiling I began to walk again. I wasn't sure what it was, but something about the way Kanda's accent made my name come out was very… appealing.

Light began to engulf me and I stepped into the 14th's piano room, the side that I saw reflected in the arc. I looked straight into Neah's eyes, calm and determined. Mana was right, I wasn't ready to give up all that I had. More than anything, I wanted to get out of there and hug Neko before getting into some petty argument with Kanda.

"You're a fool," he began, clearly pissed off beyond compare. "Everything would have been easier it you just gave in."

"Sorry, but there are some people out there waiting for me and I can't let them down." His glare went up about ten degrees.

"Don't you realize that they'll turn against you? Have you forgotten how human's have treated you?" I didn't turn away. I remembered alright. Images of the circus I was part of when Mana found me played back, but I wasn't really upset. It was all in the past and I now had a family that I wouldn't trade for the world. Brushing the past to the side I firmly planted a picture of Kanda and Neko at the front of my mind.

"Of course I haven't forgotten, but I won't let that make my opinion of the entire human race. There will always be bad people that can't see past what is right in front of their faces and good people like my friends that will accept you no matter what."

"WHERE DOES ALL OF YOUR FAITH COME FROM?" he shouted suddenly furious. "One of those 'friends' of yours is a _bookman_ there's no way that you are ignorant to mankind's constant atrocities of the past nor can your own life let you be innocent of their cruelty. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT THEY ARE ANY DIFFERENT?"

He was fuming. His breaths came out in short pants and he was visibly shaking. I had never seen him so upset. It was then that what seemed like an absurd realization came to me. Just maybe he was like me, a person that had a circumstance that they never wanted thrust upon him and was persecuted for it.

There was no way to know whether it was true or not other than to test it out, so I squared my shoulders and began to slowly make my way to him. I could tell that any false move would set him off. to try and keep him calm, I never let my gaze move form his nor did I allow any kind of apprehension show in my eyes or on my face. Above anything else, I needed him to stay calm. As soon as I was close enough, I put my hand on his shoulder and gave his tense form a reassuring squeeze.

"I know that there is a possibility that I be hurt by others again. The thing is, though, that there is a chance too that someone out there will love me." I put my other hand, the one that held my innocence over my heart and closed my eyes contently. "It was a man that I know is precious to the both of us that taught me this. He was the first person that saw me for me and gave me a chance and that has made all the difference. If one person cared for me so much, then isn't there a chance that another will come along?"

I paused as the shaking beneath my right hand began to get worse. Neah had his eyes clenched tightly shut as if he were in great pain. He was pale too.

"I know that you can see what goes on around me, Neah. Can you honestly tell me that I should fear the people that surround me? You can feel our bonds even in here can't you? Every injury they get gives you a pain that reverberates through our very soul, every smile warms you. With every fall Neko takes or dangerous situation she is put in you fear more for her and love her even more with every smile she sends us." This next one was the hard one. It was undeniable and could easily make or break my chances of getting him to let this go peacefully. "With every meal we share with her and Kanda you feel overcome with happiness and having him near you makes you feel safe,"_—_I swallowed heavily_—_"loved even. You can't deny this. You're a part of me as I am you. Please, embrace these feelings and stop this pain."

He looked like he was about to snap, but something stopped him. His gaze abruptly gaze became glued to something behind me. A familiar giddiness overcame me before I could even glance over my shoulder to see the person that I already knew would be there.

"Nii-san?" Neah all but chocked out. Mana smiled at us and put his hand on his brother's other shoulder. "What? Why are you here?"

"It's time to let go Neah," Mana's soothing voice rang out. "Humans can change and nothing is greater than the bond they share with each other's hearts. You know this."

"No!" he screamed trying to fight the hold we had on him. It was then that I did the only thing that came naturally at the moment. I hugged him. He froze in shock, but stopped struggling. It seemed that all that he wanted, even if he himself wasn't aware of it was physical contact that didn't involve pain.

"Brother." I had never heard my former guardian sound so firm. It was hard to imagine anyone wearing bright face paint being serious, but he pulled it off almost as well as Kanda. "You say that all humans are the same, but aren't I one? Weren't you one? Think about it. Is there really any guarantee that all of them are like the ones that have wronged us? Allen's friends are genuine. Give them a chance. If mot for my sake than for your own. This hatred will consume you and make you worse than even the Earl."

Everything was silent. I let go and we sat in suspense waiting for what his answer would be.

**Kanda POV**

I felt the child in my arms shift. A stabbing pain shot through my heart as I saw her tearstained face. For the past three days we were in that little room almost constantly hoping against all odds that the moyashi would wake up and just be himself. Neither one of us felt up to leaving. The only thing that even gotten me out of the chair I had put beside his bed for us was the knowledge that Neko needed tending even if she denied it. He would kill me if I didn't take care of her properly because I was too busy worrying about him.

The saying "you don't realize how good something is until you lose it" couldn't have been more true. I hadn't realized how much both Neko and I needed him until I was faced with the possibility that I might very well have to fight him with fatal force was hanging over my head waiting to destroy my only recently rediscovered heart. Everything seemed so hollow without him. Neko and I couldn't even eat in the cafeteria anymore because it just didn't feel right without him.

What I wouldn't have given to see his grey eyes that I only just noticed the day before were beautiful. Nothing would have made me happier than hearing his somehow melodic but not feminine voice calling Bakanda and sending retorts to every rude comment I made. Damn it! Whenever he woke he woke up I was going punch him and not let him out of my sight for a week!

A quiet sniffle brought me out of my musings. It looked like Neko was awake and was worrying to the point of crying again.

"Pwease wake up Awen," she begged for what had to have been the several millionth time since he collapsed. I almost broke out in tears too as she set her watery green eyes to me. "Tou-san, do you miss Awen?"

"Yeah," I said wrapping my arms around her, "so much it hurts."

Needing something than my daughter's heartbroken face to look at, I stared at the moyashi again. I thanked whatever god was out there that he looked peaceful today. Between the constant switch of cream and olive his skin had been taking and the horrible cries he let out the previous day, I wasn't sure how much more either of us could take. Then I noticed something that made my heart skip a beat.

His skin was not only the pale cream color that I was accustomed to seeing, but it held a healthy flush that I hadn't seen in days. Most importantly, though, was that the stigma that had decorated his hands and forehead when I last looked where gone. Neko and I froze as he groaned and his eyelids fluttered.

Once his eyes, oh those wonderful slate colored eyes that I never thought I would see again, opened he hissed in discomfort and sat up hand on his forehead. Before I could even think about trying to stop her, Neko reached out a hand and lightly tugged on his shirt. His eyes flew to us and we just stared at each other.

"Awen?" she said uncertainly in the innocent way that only a child like her could. He smiled at her tenderly and pulled her into his arms.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he asked with a laugh. Even as he did this, our eyes never strayed from each other's. I tried as hard as I could to convey the faith I had in him in that one look and his eyes held happiness and gratitude.

"The 14th?" I asked, needing to know if there was a possibility that this could happen again. His smile turned brighter and more delighted than I had ever seen it.

"He's agreed to give humans a second chance. I'm sure that you and the others can prove his hatred wrong."

**I was amazed at how many people didn't want Neah to die. In all honesty I was expecting them all to be like "Kill the bastard!". Anyway, as of 9:23 on the date 3/8/11 the vote tallied up to be Choice 1: 7 votes, Choice 2: 23 votes and unbiased: 2. Now remember no bitching. Have a nice night.**


	15. Chapter 15

Sadistic-neko: Hi everybody! Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I just couldn't seem to write anything for it and I didn't have internet when I finally got over the writer's block.

Tyki: My bunny isn't showing up much.

Sadistic-neko: I know. Don't worry though, the next chapter is going to be in his point of view.

Tyki: (Smirk) Good.

Sadistic-neko: (looks to readers) I do not own -man and I hope that y'all enjoy my latest chap!

**Allen POV**

"Tag! You're it!" I screamed as I tapped Neko on the shoulder and quickly jumped away. "Catch me if you can!" (A/N: I'm the gingerbread-man!... Okay, now that I have that random outburst out of my system, BACK TO THE STORY!)

"Moyashi!" Kanda called out. "We're trying to get her ready for battles! Not all of the Akuma would scream out like that! This is meant to build her reaction speed, remember!"

"You're just being a spoiled-sport!" I dodged Neko's paw as it came within inches of my nose.

_Damn right!_ Neah exclaimed in my head. He was a hell of a lot more pleasant since he decided to give humans another chance. So far though, the only humans he could stand were Kanda, Neko and me. Oh well, he would get over himself eventually. Especially since Mana was acting as his personal therapist.

"Moyashi! Pay attention!"

"What?" Before any answer could be given, I was knocked over by a powerful paw. All I could do for a moment was lay there wondering what the hell just happened.

"Awen?" a timid little voice questioned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said after a moment of trying to catch my bearings. "I'm fine."

"This is why I told you to take this seriously you idiot. You're lucky that she had her claws retracted. If not than she could have accidentally ripped your face off."

"Yeah, I know." I got up and brushed all of the grass and dirt off that I could from my clothes. "But that's why we put the 'no naked weapon' rule in, ne?"

"If you keep this up, I might have to change that. Neko is just about at the point that we don't have to worry about hurting her so the only one that would be in trouble is you." He gave me a pointed look and stood from where he was sitting, grabbing Mugen as he rose. "I'll take over now. Why don't you sit down and try to get your head out of the clouds?"

"My head isn't in the clouds Bakanda!" he stopped mid-stride and leaned down until his face was mere inches from mine. My breath caught at the close proximity and, as he took a slow, lazy breath, I gulped.

"Are you sure? Seemed a whole hell of a lot like that from where I was." Without another word, he motioned for Neko to go hide and turned around so he couldn't see where she was going. After a couple of seconds, the game began.

"Damn it," I cursed softly as I plopped down on the soft, dewy, green grass. "You got to keep yourself together Allen."

"Something the matter?" I jumped up and accidentally banged heads with the Junior Bookman.

"Damn it, Lavi!" Again this curse was uttered under my breath as I rubbed my forehead. So far Kanda was doing a pretty good job in watching his language around Neko and I wasn't going to be the one that inadvertently taught her a word that she shouldn't know yet. "Give a guy a warning!"

"Sorry!" Stupid rabbit with his hard head and bandana. (Great, I was starting to sound like Kanda.) He looked barely phased by the head to head collision. "Jeeze man, I'm just worried about you. You haven't been yourself since Neah tried to take over your body."

"What do you mean?" I wasn't stupid enough to hope that he didn't notice how tense I became. His eyes were too damn sharp for that. "I'm fine."

He just stared at me blankly for a moment and I squirmed like a guilty child that was being questioned as to where the last cookie in the jar disappeared to. I didn't last long under that gaze.

"Okay!" I help my hands up in surrender and hung my head shamefully. "It's nothing much. I've just had a lot of things on my mind since then is all."

"Are you sure?" I nodded. He raised an eyebrow, but let it go, thankfully. Together we watched as Kanda and Neko both dodged blows from the other. "Care to explain this one?"

"Sure." I paused for a quick giggle as Kanda tapped Neko on the back just hard enough to knock her off balance. "Kanda or I let her hide and then we look for her. You know, like hide-and-go-seek. Once we find her, we try to hit her and she tries to hit us. The only rule is that we are not allowed to unsheathe our weapons."

"Nice," he said with a whistle. "Teaches her how to hide when necessary and to evade attacks?"

"That's what Kanda had in mind when he thought it up." Again we just sat in silence for a moment. For once, everything was at peace as we watched Kanda and Neko dance around the garden in their, if serious, deadly, graceful steps. Too bad it was doomed to end.

"Testing," the speakers rang out after the typical sharp screech they always let out as they turned on. "Can Allen, Kanda, Neko and Lavi please come to my office?"

I didn't hear Komui repeat himself. All I heard was the grave tone he spoke in and the fact that he wanted _Neko_ in his office. To be honest, I don't remember the trip through the order to the science division. I was completely numb to everything except the little hand that was curled in mine.

"_No,"_ I thought as we approached the door. _"He can't seriously think that Neko is going on a mission right now. __**I won't allow it!**__"_

"Komui," Kanda said icily as we entered. "What is it that you called us in for?"

The barrette wearing man had his face in his hands and was releasing a huge emo wave that I had only seen after his sister kicked him.

"The council has ordered that Neko be given her first mission and that neither Allen Walker nor Kanda Yuu are not to be sent out with her." I saw red, but Kanda was faster.

"Care to run that by me again?" He growled out, the supervisor's collar bunched up in his hand as he practically dragged him over his desk.

"The top brass are forcing me to send Neko on a mission without you or Allen." He looked Kanda in the eye (Quite the feat, mind you) and gave him an insane grin. "They never said that I couldn't send a close friend of yours, though."

Kanda let him go, glare still firmly in place. Poor neko was just rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet whistling a tune, far too used to the samurai's violent nature.

"You have thirty seconds."

"Sending Lavi is perfectly fine. As much as you might not want to admit it, he's the next best thing." I only saw a black blur as the Japanese man turned and put the point of Mugen to the redhead's throat.

"I will say this only once, Baka Usagi." The one visible green eye was as wide as a dinner plate and he was shaking like a leaf. "If she comes back with so much as a scratch on her, the _last_ thing you will have to worry about is some dumbass hunting you down to use your feet as a good luck charm. Understood?"

"U-understood." He plum near fainted when the sword was removed and, needless to say, had to sit down for a while. Everything was silent for a while until Neko finally got confused enough to question what was going on.

"Tou-san?" she called, pulling on his pants leg to get his attention. "Is somethin' wong?"

He sighed and kneeled down to her level.

"The people that I work for want to send you away to do some work with Uncle Usagi." She tilted her head to the side slightly.

"Will I being doing what you and Awen and evwyone else does when they weave?" He nodded. She put a hand to her chin and stuck her bottom lip out as she thought. After a moment she nodded to herself and looked her father figure in the eye. "Will you and Awen be okay?"

"Yeah." He gave her a hug. When he stood he grabbed her hand and turned towards the door. The hand that didn't hold the child's was clenched tightly into a fist. "Let's go. We need to get you packed."

"Actually," Komui called out before the two could reach the door. Kanda turned to him with an irritated glare. "I still need to talk to you and Allen. Why don't you let Lavi help her get ready and catch up to her later?"

We glared at the glasses wearing man. Neko was looking questioningly and went with Lavi when the samurai nodded to her. We sat down again, fighting the urge to slaughter our superior.

"What do you want now?" Kanda's voice was fierce. "It better be good."

We shivered as Komui sent us his evil smile. We weren't sure we wanted to know what he had planned.

"Well," he began, his glasses glinting scarily, "I realized the other day that you two have yet to have any kind of vacation time since you joined, so I figured that now would be a good time."

"What?" I asked stunned. It took a moment for realization to dawn on us. I grinned. Kanda wore a smirk. "So, where is this vacation supposed to be."

"Where ever you two want it to be. The order is giving you a blank check. As long as you don't go too overboard you guys can do whatever you want."

Still elated at this news, we took a glance at the papers that Komui still had on his desk pertaining to Neko's mission and, seeing that it was to be in a mining town near where I met Krory, left to pack our things. We never saw or heard the person sneaking up behind us until it was too late. A needle was jabbed into our necks and we were out like a light before we could even think to fight.


	16. Author's note Please read

Sadistic-neko: I'm sorry everyone. I know that you were hoping for an update, but I can't right now. My muse ran away again for a while. When I started writing again, my hard-drive blew up on my laptop and I lost everything. When I got a new laptop, I had to copy and paste everything off of my account and got frustrated with correcting the format. After that, I finally almost had a full chapter done for one of my stories and Microsoft office crashed on me as I was finishing the last page or two. I had to write this on my dad's computer for heaven's sake! I have absolutely no idea when I can update, but I will as soon as I can. Please be patient!


	17. Chapter 17

**Sadistic-neko: Mwahahahahahahahaha! I am alive and I have finished another chapter!**

**Tyki: (looks to his bunny) Is she okay?**

**Lavi: Yeah, she's fine. She was just frustrated with this story and is happy to finally have a new chap up.**

**Tyki: (looks at author skeptically) Are you sure?**

**Lavi: Yep. I don't think that she's up for doing the disclaimer, though. (looks to the readers) Sadistic-neko does not own -man and hopes that you enjoy her latest and long overdue chapter **

**Lavi POV**

I looked out the window of the train car we were in, searching for any sign of white or long black hair. As the stream engine shook and stuttered to a start I sighed. A loud groan and squeaking noise was released as the wheels began to turn and move us to our destination.

To my surprise, I never saw either of the men I was expecting to show up at any moment. There was also no distinctive boom of exorcists leaping onto the train from above as was often the preferred method of boarding.

_I guess that they couldn't get out_ I thought as I settled some more and looked to the child who sat across from me. Her blonde hair was carefully pulled back, one of Yuu's hair ties holding it back. The black and red uniform of killers like us just didn't seem to suit her and horribly contrasted with her wide, innocent, green eyes. It was a shame to see one as young and pure as her donning the accursed silver crest that lay on her chest just above her heart.

"Ne, Uncle usagi?" she said, breaking me out of my revere. Her head tilted slightly in curiosity as I focused on her. "Where are we going?"

"An old mining town," I replied, thinking back to where I heard the name that was in the file before.

"What will we do?"

"Akuma extermination." The fact that I still couldn't seem to remember why the town's name was familiar to me was really pissing me off. I was the junior bookman for heaven's sake! I never forgot things! Then it hit me.

The town we were heading to was the town that Tyki and his hobo looking friends had gotten off of the train after Allen had kicked their asses at poker and had them all stripped down to their boxers. We had only learned that he was the Noah of pleasure afterwards when he almost killed Allen by having one of his pet man-eating butterflies, the Tease, eat a hole in his heart.

"Neko," I began slowly, warning dripping from my every word. She straightened up, picking up on my mood immediately. Her little feet, that had previously been kicking back and forth distractedly, stilled. "When we get to the town, do not leave my side. If I feel like it's getting too dangerous, run and hide. Understand?"

She nodded, understanding how dangerous this was going to be and knowing that if she didn't heed my orders, then she might not live for much longer. I could have cried at the realization of how well she understood death and how aware she was that she may just be living her last day. No kid of only five years should know of such a thing.

"Is it weally that dangerwus?" I nodded, looking out the window again. Thoughts of the curly haired, golden eyed man circled around in my head more and more.

"Yes, a noah may be there." Golden hair fell over her shoulder as she tilted her head in curiosity. Her emerald eyes glowing bright, mystified.

"What's a noah?" The words felt like a stab in my heart in their pure wonder at the world. There was so much that she didn't know. She knew it well and wanted to learn and admire all that she found and learned like it was a priceless treasure. Who was I to potentially corrupt that?

"The people who control the akuma. They are led by a man called the Millennium Earl. They can be recognized by their olive-brown skin, golden eyes, and stigma adorning their foreheads and hands."

"Like Awen?" she asked, clearly thinking of the incident a few weeks prior. I cringed slightly. I was so dead when, or, as is always a possibility, if, we got back from the mission.

"Yeah." I could see the question that would probably be my demise growing in her eyes, so I decided to just get it over with and blurted out the answer. "He has a Noah inside of him."

"How?"

"I don't know." I was wondering the same thing myself. A deep worrying that should have been far beyond her years was beginning to etch premature lines on her face.

"Does that mean that Awen is bad?"

"NO!" I snapped out much harsher than I had meant to. It had become an ingrained response after all of the talks about killing the cursed exorcist. Guilt washed over me again as the child tensed up, her hair bristling like the feline her innocence resembled. Not wanting to scare or otherwise upset her, I took a deep, calming breath before elaborating. "No, Allen is not bad. The Noah he has in him, Neah, betrayed the Earl a long time ago. Allen has also convinced him not to fight against us and kill humans. Even if he didn't, he would fight until his last breath to protect both humans and akuma alike."

She only nodded before getting off of her seat and climbing onto mine. I was surprised as she silently cuddled up against my side and pulled the blanket that lay on the end of the bench over herself. Not a word passed through her pouty little lips for so long a time that I thought that she had fallen asleep.

"Do you think that tou-san and Awen are alwight?" she asked with both concern and longing.

"Of course," I said biting back the resentment I felt towards the top brass of the order. It was nothing but cruel to separate such a young child from her parental figures just to put her in a battle that she should have no involvement in. "I'm sure that they're training and eating like normal and planning what they can do with you when we get back."

"Yeah." Her words were heavily slurred and barely understandable through the yawn she let out. "My tou-san and daddy are the best and strongest people in the world."

"You got that right." I allowed myself one small tear as I rubbed her back the way Allen did when he sat with her during her naps. I would get her back to those two even if it killed me.

**Kanda POV**

Everything was blurry as I forced my heavy lids open. Nothing was clear even in my foggy brain. I was barely even able to process that I was in some kind of stone walled room. It was only when I noticed that there was another person beside me that I snapped out of the daze and what happened returned to me. The moyashi and I were attacked.

"Damn it," I growled as I bolted up and reached for Mugen. It was gone. Wonderful. I was going to slaughter whoever did this, but that would have to wait considering that there was a slightly more pressing matter to attend to. The moyashi was also in the room and he was still out like a light. I shook him in an effort to wake him, but only received a groan in response.

It took about ten minutes of continual effort to finally rouse the sleeping bean sprout. Like I had, he came too slowly.

"Kanda, where are we?" he asked, his grey eyes locked onto my blue ones. They were still clouded over with sleep. He barely seemed aware of the fact that we were in an unfamiliar place. I almost jumped when he jolted awake though. "What the hell?"

"What is it Moyashi?" I began giving him a once over, looking for injuries. I was relieved when I didn't find any blood, but confused as hell. What was he squirming around for and freaking out about then?

"There're seals on my arm!" I looked over him again, feeling slow that I didn't notice it before. All over his arm was talismans painted with intricate, powerful seals. I grabbed his hand to stop him when he began to claw at them with his other hand. He glared at me. "Let go Kanda."

"No." The intensity of his glare went up a notch as he began trying to jerk his hand out of mine. I sighed and pulled him to my chest, my arms wrapped around him to restrain him. "You know just as well as I do that those seals won't come off that easily. The only thing you would accomplish trying to rip them off is injuring yourself."

I relaxed as the white haired male seemed to deflate. He rested his head on my shoulder, body completely limp.

"What should I do then?" he asked. A small shiver ran down my spine as his hot breath ghosted over my neck.

"How do you feel?" I asked in return, leaning back with him still in my arms. My hand then began to run down his back to help him relax more. "Is there any pain? Weakness?"

"No." I could feel him shaking his head against my chest where it had slid when I leaned back. "I just feel disconnected from the Crown Clown."

"Can you still move it?" He lazily lifted his hand and waved it around a little, wiggling his fingers to test the appendages out. I nodded in approval, giving him a small pat like I would to Neko. "What about Neah? Is he okay?"

There was a moment of silence as he searched within himself for the Noah that he shared his mind and body with. I raised a brow when he began to giggle.

"He's fine." He was barely understandable through his humored giggle. "Right now, he's spewing every curse word in existence at the top brass."

I chuckled at that. I felt the same way. Neko would be upset, though, if I didn't take care of the moyashi. She loved him like he was her mom or something. My small chuckle turned into a full out laugh when I heard a loud grumble that echoed throughout the room.

"Shut up." I felt his fist against my shoulder as he half heartedly punched me. "Do you think that they're going to bother feeding us?"

I shrugged. Sure we were prisoners and exorcists, but this was the top brass we were talking about. This could just be them finally trying to kill us. The only way to find out whether or not that was the truth was to wait.

**Lavi POV**

Neko and I stared in horrified awe at the town in front of us. Well, it was more like what like what used to be the town. The buildings were all destroyed. The skies were black from the smoke billowing off of the destroyed structures. Level one akuma were floating everywhere causing more carnage.

All of those things were nothing compared to what our eyes couldn't leave. There, at the outskirts of the desolate town, was a man on his knees, staring in horror at the scene before us. He wore a nice suit. It wasn't overly ornate, but the fineness of the black material was blatantly obvious. His dark hair was tied back at the nape of his neck, falling down his back in curls that I knew would have been tight, yet soft, had gravity not been weighing them down with the length. His olive brown skin was grey in the ask floating around him. In his hand was a ripped mask so small that it could only fit on a child.

"Tyki?" I called out before I knew what I was doing. The man's head slowly rose to look at me. His normally glowing golden eyes were dull, more bronze than I had ever seen them. The usually lively noah of pleasure looked dull, washed out, and all together lifeless.

I stood stock still as he stared at me, confused. Seconds ticked by feeling like hours before recognition finally dawned on him. I slowly pushed Neko behind me as discreetly as I could. The last thing I wanted was to draw attention to the child. I wasn't going to put her in any danger that I could prevent.

"Rabbit?" I nodded cautiously, taking a quick look back at the blonde child behind me to make sure she was out of the other man's sight. Then, as if he was dreaming, he slowly turned back to the ruined town he used to call home. It was like a switch was flipped as his eyes fell on a level two akuma making its way out of a house that it had just destroyed with hammer-like appendages. Without warning, he got to his feet and stormed over to the demon, the fires of hell burning in his eyes as he grabbed it by its throat. "What the hell is going on here? Why are you attacking this place?"

The creature didn't get to answer. As it was gasping for the air, an eerie, overly cheerful chuckle rang out through the air. Furious golden eyes snapped to the fat man standing casually on top of a level one akuma, his ever present umbrella was open and resting against his shoulder. Neko shivered as she caught sight of him and his creepy ass, wider than can be possibly natural, smile.

"Why Tyki-pyon, what are you doing here?" He asked, his head tilted to the side like a child in a ridiculous display of false innocence. Tyki, enraged as all hell, glared at his patriarchal figure.

"What is this Earl?" Tyki demanded in an insubordinate tone. His arm slashed the side to emphasize the town turned to hell. "You swore to leave this town and its inhabitants be!"

The giddy man's smile never changed, and we couldn't see his eyes, but the air turned cold. It was a sure sign that he didn't take Tyki's disrespect well. A small whimper from behind me told me that Neko could feel the tangible rage too and it scared her.

"You dare question me?" the evil leader asked, ice and venom dripping from his voice. Dark energy swirled around him and was met surge for surge by the other member of his 'family'. The other man's face was formed into a fierce snarl.

"Yes! NOW ANSWER ME DAMN IT!" My eyes went wide at how openly confrontational he was being. He was standing rigid with shoulders squared, feet firmly planted, chin held high as he looked the earl in the eyes, and trembling fists were clenched tightly.

Instead of answering, the earl sent his akuma to attack. All of them charged him at once. Tyki merely glared at them and began shoving his way through, knocking them out and going through any physical obstacle in his path like they were made of air.

Before I knew it, Neko and I were being overrun too. I swung my hammer like a madman trying to protect the child that my best friends left in my care as she slashed through countless demons. More and more came until we were backed to the mouth of a mining cave. Tyki and the earl fought relentlessly above us. Then, in a huge blur, too many things happened.

The first thing, that triggered a horrible chain of events, was that the earl had knocked Tyki to the ground, shaking the earth beneath us and making Neko fall further into the cave via the ledge she was on. This caused me to be distracted just long enough for an akuma to get a shot off. Though I was able to dodge it, it hit the wall behind me. I could only watch horrified as the cave mouth began to collapse. Boulders fell closer and closer to where Neko lay disorientated. The last thing I saw of her before the smoke and dust blacked out my sight was a dark blur racing towards her and a rock that would undoubtedly crush her falling right for her.


	18. Chapter 18

**Sadistic-neko: Howdy everyone! I hope all of you lovely reader have been doing well since my last update. I am proud to tell you that I typed most of this up today, determined to give you update that you all and been waiting for!**

**Kanda: (scoffs) Took you long enough. What were you dong this entire time?**

**Sadistic-neko: Umm (shifty eyes) doing research. (tries to discretely hide obscene amounts of yaoi volumes with her foot.)**

**Kanda: (notices author's fail a being ninja) You are a pathetic, voyeuristic pervert.**

**Sadistic-neko: Am not! (sticks her tongue out at the samurai)**

**Kanda: Real mature.**

**Sadistic-neko: So what? (turns nose away with arms crossed over her chest) I'll you know that I was also busy looking for a job, thank you very much!**

**Kanda: Whatever.**

**Sadistic-neko: Well, since he's being a dick and I don't want to talk to him anymore and I'm sure you all want me to shut up and just get to the story anyway, I'll just give the disclaimer and exit stage left. (looks to readers) I do not own -man and hope that y'all enjoy my latest chapter!**

**Tyki POV**

I groaned, as pain registered in my brain. Some kind of pressure was pressing brutally on my hips and legs. The only relief I had was that there was something cool pressing against my forehead, easing some of my pulsing headache. For some indiscriminate amount of time, I just lay there unable to find any motivation to stir.

After a while, my body, of its own accord, began to properly awaken. Muscles tensed and relaxed randomly, trying to determine their own condition. Eyelids twitched, still unsure if it was yet worth it to open and reveal my inhuman golden eyes. The worst part was the images and thoughts kept flicking around in my head, each one fighting for dominance. Then, the nightmarish scene of the town I had called home for so long and that held the only humans I actually cared about up in smoke shoved itself to the fore making me sit up and want to vomit.

As I finally became erect, my head begin to swim. My eyes clamped shut, my headache increasing by multitudes, nausea rolling in my stomach, and my legs and hips began to hurt like a bitch. Small hands fussed over me, trying to get me to lie back down and frantically searching for something to make me more comfortable.

"Pwease lay down," a little voice coming from my right said. It sounded genuinely worried about me and feminine. At first I thought that it was Road, but that couldn't be right. If she were taking care of whatever was causing me such discomfort, then I would probably be resting in a soft bed in her dream world, not on some hard surface with random objects digging cruelly into my back. Who could this child be then? "You're hurt mister noah. You shouwdn't move."

Finally unable to take the burning curiosity anymore, I squinted my eyes open and tried to get a look at my companion. Like I had though, she was a little girl. Her eyes, the greenest ones I had ever seen, were wide and shone with concern. Pale blonde hair the color of freshly mowed wheat fell around her in light waves, falling almost to her butt as she kneeled next to me. In one porcelain like hand was a scrap of black fabric that I assumed came from the discarded order coat resting a few feet away from us that was now in tatters.

Recognition teased me in the back of my mind. I knew this girl from somewhere and it was driving me insane that I could think straight enough through my pained daze to recall where I had seen her. At last, after a time that seemed far too long, I remembered. She was the little girl that I had vaguely noticed hiding behind the rabbit just before the earl showed up. I had seen her fighting akuma beside the redhead with cat like paws, claws tearing through the monsters like they were made of butter. Her feline ears were swiveling atop her head, listen for any threat as she fought and a tail curled itself around her to prevent it from being used against her.

"You were with the rabbit," I said oh so intelligibly as she tried to gently push me down again. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why she seemed so determined to make me lie back. Didn't she understand that it was unpleasant to rest there?

"Pwease mister noah," she said again, pleading eyes staring up at me adorably. "You're huwt and your wegs are under the wocks. If you move, you might huwt yourself more."

Surprised, I looked to find that there were indeed rocks pinning my legs down and partially crushing my hips. Well, that explained the awful pressure I had been feeling from them and the sharp jab I had ignored when I sat up. Knowing that it wouldn't due for my legs to stay where they were for much longer lest I lose circulation in them and completely break my pelvis, I used my power as a noah and willed the desired parts of my body to become intangible. In a few painful movements, I pulled the appendages through the offending items and out of harm's way. The child beside me watched in awe and wiped my brow with the cloth she had been holding. Sweat had accumulated on it during my exertion and the cool cloth that she must have wet with water she had found somewhere felt wonderful.

"Why are you helping me?" I asked knowing that she was an exorcist. The thrum of her innocence, something that I was sure that neither she nor any other exorcist ever noticed but I was highly sensitive to, told me that much. "I'm a noah, your enemy. I've fought against and killed many of your comrades."

The girl paused, pulling my shredded pants up to inspect my injured legs. There were a couple of gashes on them but they weren't anywhere near as concerning as the odd angles and swelling that they sported. One of them was even bent at a near forty-five degree angle away from the rest of it about a quarter of the way down from my knee. With deft, oddly skilled hands, she grabbed the appendage softly and shot me an apologetic look before tightening her grip and quickly pulled it back into place.

White hot pain rushed through my veins like a fiercely burning fire. The bones scraping against each other as they were forced back in place was audible to me. The sensation was so intense that I blacked out for a few moments, coming too luckily when she had finish straightening out all of the fractures. As much as it hurt like hell, I knew that it had needed to be done. In fact, if she had waited much longer, I would probably have had to go through the agony of having the bones re-broken and then set as my healing was already kicking in. With my legs back in their normal position, it would not be long at all until I would be able to move around freely.

"You saved me." I almost jumped and had to take a moment to remember that I had asked her a question. It took me another moment to figure out what she was talking about before that came back to me too. While I had been fighting the traitorous bastard of an earl earlier, I had noticed the akuma being slammed into the cave wall and the unstable rocks above the girl shake. On instinct, I shoved my opponent away and rushed as fast as I could to push her out of the threat's crushing path. Before I could even think to make my body insubstantial, a rock hit me in the head and knocked me unconscious. "You're a good noah."

"As if there is such a thing." I couldn't help but dismiss her too innocent statement. If I was really so good, then I wouldn't have put this village and my human friends in danger. A good person would have followed what my horrified white side begged me to do and offed myself before I could hurt anyone when the genes within me awakened. It was all my fault that they were dead. If they hadn't haven known me, then that damn monster wouldn't have noticed them enough to purposefully target them.

"There is!" the child exclaimed, hissing angrily at me. She was too small and cute for it to be very intimidating, but it still got the message across. She was mad at what I had said. "Daddy is a good noah and so are you!"

"'Daddy'?" My brow crinkled in confusion. The only noah that I knew that had any children was my brother, Sheryl. Road was his daughter, by blood or not. She was a noah too, not an exorcist. Who the hell among my twisted, monster filled family would take in a child that was our mortal enemy? Then it hit me. There was one who had noah blood that would do such a thing. "Your dad is the shounen that cheated me out of my clothes in a game of strip poker?"

She stared blankly at me and I face-palmed. Of course she wouldn't know what strip poker was. She was five for crying out loud! Good one Tyki.

"Does he have white hair and is his left arm an anti-akuma weapon?" Her eyes lit up as she nodded furiously. I was almost afraid that her head would pop off with how fast the movement was. A sigh passed my lips as I leaned back to rest my head against the rocks. Knowing that I was about to disprove her belief made me feel kind of bad. "I hate to break it to you kid, but he's special. He's not actually a noah, he just has one in him. He wouldn't let that guy out if his life depended on it because he knows that the other guy would just go around trying to kill everyone like the others and I do."

"He does too let him out!" My eyes widened at her vehement objection. She couldn't be serious. The last time I had seen of the boy we were talking about, he was fighting with everything he had to keep the fourteenth at bay and stop him from hurting the order members that were around. "Daddy Neah comes out and pways with me sometimes and he said that he will help us and gives humans a chance! He's good!"

The girl's declaration rang out and echoed from the stony walls around us, her eyes narrowed in a glare that reminded me of that swordsman that the earl had tried to use before. That same glare was the last thing that my now deceased kinsman, Skinn Bolic, had ever seen. It was so serious and determined that it really had no right to be on such a young face. What the hell had this girl gone through to have anywhere the mental strength and maturity required to pull such a look off?

It hit me like a bag of bricks. She had to have gone through hell for such a thing to occur. Most of that had to be the fault of my family and that damned earl. Her life, just because of the innocence that she was compatible with, must have been nothing but pain and death. She would have been the target of any akuma that ever caught whiff of her. Her ability also had to have pushed her into the predicament that she was in now as part of a war that she should have nothing to do with, trapped in a cave with a man who, if I had any less of a heart, would have killed her as soon as looked at her. The fact that I was part of that despicable reality, a negative factor that could cause her death, sickened me. I felt filthy, like trash that should be burned and forgotten about.

"Neko!" a muffled, familiar voice called out, breaking me from my self-depreciating thoughts and gaining the child's attention. Her young face lit up with delight as she took a breath in to return the call. I placed my hand over her mouth to stop her.

"Don't," I whispered, glaring at the wall of debris that separated us from the person trying to summon the girl in my grasp. I wrapped my other arm around her to stop her struggling and spoke quickly so that she didn't hurt herself trying to get away. "There were still akuma out there with the earl when we were trapped in here. They could have captured him and are forcing him to call you out. Let me go out and check that this isn't a trap before you allow him to know you are okay."

I released her when she nodded, hesitant since she might have been bluffing and would yell anyways. Thankfully, she remained silent. Feeling that it was safe to say that she would remain quiet until I gave the all clear, I stood. My recently healed legs gave a small twinge of pain in protest of their burden, but I ignore it. Without wasting a minute, I approached the obstacle preventing our object and passed through it like it wasn't even there. I paused just before the end and debated whether I should actually step out or not. Eventually I decided that it would be safer to just peak my head out, still not allowing anything to touch it as my power was able to dictate.

Standing a few feet from where I emerged was a red haired man that I had seen and fought against occasionally. His order uniform was almost as destroyed as my own clothes. Red hair fell heavily around his face, no longer held up by his usual bandana and his scarf was noticeably missing. His single visible green eye was wide with panic as he clung to the rocks in front of him, calling out to the child within like a madman before he finally noticed me and ran to me.

"Tyki," he yelped in surprise. Not even a second later, he cast that shock aside as he seemed to realize that I had come from where his charge was currently located. "Is Neko okay? Please tell me that she wasn't crushed in the cave-in!"

"The child is unharmed." The young man collapsed to his knees in relief at the news. I did a quick sweep of our surroundings and, not sensing any threat, I fully came out of the rocks and kneeled nest to the prone exorcist. "I will go back in just a moment and bring her out. Please answer my questions first."

Red hair swayed as he gave a weak nod. I honestly thought that he would have sold his soul to me if it meant that the girl would be returned to him safe and in reasonably good health.

"Anything." His answer was practically lost on the wind, he spoke so soft. I took a breath and steeled myself.

"Is what she said true? Is the fourteenth noah working with the order? Has he pledged his loyalty to your group?" Another nod was given and I hesitated, thinking over what I was going to say next. Did I really want what I was about to offer? Was I ready to make such a decision? One look at the ruins left of my precious home gave me my answer. Yes I was. "Then I will join you as well."

The rabbit, Lavi, snapped his head up to stare at me with a wide green eye. It was similar to the girl, Neko's, but something about it was so appealingly different. Like hers, his held pain that no one should ever experience. Behind the sad glimmer was a spark, though. It was so deep with intelligence and life that I couldn't help but find myself captivated in it and its owner.

"Really?" he asked in disbelief. I nodded and looked at what remained of the once lively village that used to be around us. Nothing but ash and the charred remains of buildings and the inhabitants remained.

"Yes. Today showed me what a fool I have been to follow that disgusting creature, my unwanted heritage be damned. I have hurt too many people whether directly or not and it's about time I opened my eyes and start making an effort to set this right. There may not be much I can offer, and I know that I will probably not be trusted, but I don't care. I need to do this." Without another word, I turned back, returned to the waiting girl and brought her back to the young man waiting for her. Once they were done checking each other over for their peace of mind, we made our way out of the town. Once we reached the outskirts, I looked back and made a silent promise to the friends and all of those who had ever lost their lives because of me. _"I know that I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I will do everything I can to stop this and make sure that no more innocent people pointlessly die. Please watch me and know that I will protect now, not destroy. My only wish is that I will one day be able to return here and be able to hold my head high as a person you all would be proud to call your friend. Farewell, for now." _


	19. Chapter 19

Sadistic-neko: Sorry everyone for taking so long on this. I have been really busy with school and work lately. I'm too tired, having been working on this for the last seven or eight hours to really say much right now, and I apologize for any mistakes and such. Either way, I do not own -man and I hope that y'all enjoy my latest chapter.

**Lavi POV**

I watched the man sitting across from me carefully. He had been traveling with us for two weeks. During this time, he hardly even spoke. After what he went through, though, I couldn't blame him. I didn't know the whole story behind how close he was to the people that he just found slaughtered, but it seemed to deeply injure him.

"Tyki?" I softly called to him no longer able to take the silence. He turned to me, tearing his gaze from the window he had been staring blankly out of for the past four hours. The feel of his dark brown eyes trained on me was almost uncomfortable. To blend in with the normal humans around us, he had changed his appearance. His olive colored skin was once again a pale peach color and his stigma were nowhere to be found. He even went as far as to sell the few accessories he had been wearing for a hefty sum to buy some casual clothes and get his hair cut. The black strands were now the same shaggy, curly mess that they were when I had first met him on a train very similar to the one we were currently riding when Allen got revenge on him and his friends for cheating Krory out of his belongings and clothes. Instead of the fancy, expensive suit he was wearing earlier, he opted to go casual in a simple white button up and thick, dark pants. If I didn't know better, I would have thought him to be just your garden variety vagabond.

"Yes?" I gulped at how low his voice was. It, much like every else about him, really fit his position as the Noah of pleasure. He could probably make anyone he wanted swoon and bare themselves to him just by saying a few words.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" There was a silent moment where he debated whether or not he actually would be will to answer my inquiries. "I'm a bookman and it is my job to give an unbiased recording of events to be left as a true history. I think that you would have an easier time convincing the order not to have you killed on the spot if we tell them that you are helping panda jii-jii and me with our work. They can't afford to piss us off since there are so few exorcists at the moment. We are only on their side at the moment since it's easier to gather info this way. If I have a little bit of information to give panda jii-jii, then I'm sure that he support keeping you on."

The man thought this over for a moment before sighing and leaning into uncomfortable bench. His long legs stretched out to help him further relax and lightly brushed against my own.

"Very well. I will not promise that I will be willing to answer all of your questions, but ask away." It took a sec for me to suppress my giddiness at getting him to agree and sort through my thoughts to find what I wanted to ask first.

"Have you always been a noah?" He shook his head no. "How did it happen then?"

"It's hard to explain," he began, a far off look on his handsome face. His hands began to clench and unclench in his unease. "At first, I was just like any other man. Well, as much as I could be as an orphan. Once I was old enough to leave the orphanage, I looked for work. For a time, I was a miner. The pay wasn't great, but I got by. It wasn't like I had a family to support or anything, so it really wasn't a problem wither way. I made friends eventually and we began to travel. That's when I discovered that I had a talent for gambling. My group did too. Since we were so good at cheating and not getting caught, we decided to use our skill to make extra money when we weren't doing odd jobs. Life was great then. We partied and drank and just had fun. That's when it all started to change, though. I started having nightmares of a war so horrible that I could hardly stand the thought of it and would often wake up in a cold sweat. Eventually, the stigma started to appear. At first, they constantly bled. Needless to say, it worried the hell out of me. I didn't want to concern my friends, though, so I hid the bandages under my hair and with gloves. As time went on, the dreams got worse. It even got to the point where I couldn't tell the difference between dreams and reality. Just when I thought I was going to completely lose my mind, my body changed. It was by far the most painful thing that I had ever gone through. I was unconscious for almost a week because of it. When I awoke, I had a vague recollection of all of the previous Noah of pleasures' memories and the Earl was standing above me. He wished me a 'happy birthday' like he does all of the akuma he makes and welcomed me into the family. Luckily my friends had gone ahead of me for a job we had lined up. If they hadn't, the Earl would have probably tried to convince me to kill them all."

It took a great effort to keep myself from getting up and trying to comfort him. It wouldn't be very professional and I wasn't too sure how he would take it. Less than a week ago we had been enemies after all. Feeling to dark, melancholy air, I decided to quickly change the topic.

"Do all of the Noah live among humans in disguise?"

"Yes and no. The others all pretend to be aristocrats. They go to parties and other such social events, but none of them would ever pose as a poor worker like I did." My head tilted to the right in curiosity. He must have known what my next question would be. "They are very self-superior. I will not lie, though. I did enjoy being able to live like the privileged. The only reason I stayed as I vagabond for so long was because it was fun."

"Fun?" I could feel my brow furrow. What could have been so fun about being dirt poor and traveling from place to place with nowhere to call home?

"Yes. I liked living a dual life. You see, even among the Noah, I am unique. I have two sides. The first is the one you met on that train. I call it my white side. When like that, I have no real concerns, I just live life to the fullest that I can. I work, play cards, party, hassle my friends, and roam to my heart's content. In my black side, though, I unleash all of my baser desires. I take what I want, fight, even kill as much as I want, and nothing is beyond my reach." A shiver went down my spine remembering all of the times I had encountered that 'black' side. Quite a few of those times I had barely made it out alive. "Having both of those sides, I could live however I wanted. I could play with being a ruthless, wild creature after blood and destruction and a free, uninhibited man merely traveling the world doing whatever struck my fancy. Living that way, I could always be true to myself and my desires and I loved it. It's what I represent as a Noah after all."

"I thought that you represented pleasure," I said dumbfounded. Tyki, seeing my confusion threw his head back and laughed. It was a hearty, full laugh that shook his whole body and rang joyously through the air.

"There are more kinds of pleasure than the delightful, carnal kind rabbit." His peals quickly died off as he looked me straight in the eye with a sinful smirk. "Though I wouldn't mind in the least to show you how adept I am in that kind of pleasure as well."

A blush burned all down my face and neck. I shook my head furiously, embarrassed as all hell before looking at the little girl curled up napping beside me. Kanda and Allen would kill me if I let her hear anything about sex at such a young age. Hell, I honestly thought that if the samurai could have his way, she would be a nun and would _never_ find out about it. Thankfully, she hadn't woken at all.

"How does your power to go through objects work?" I had to change the subject for my sanity's sake. The man was attractive to say the least (and boy did he know it) and I wasn't sure how well I would be able to hold out if he honestly decided to pursue something. It wasn't that I was a whore or anything, but being an exorcist didn't leave much time to enjoy that company of another in _that_ way and it had been so long since I was able to allow myself such an indulgence. The fact that I could be killed at any moment didn't help the fact either.

"Asking how my power, or how any of the other Noah's powers, work is like asking someone to explain how they walk." He gave a small smile as he spoke, sensing my awkwardness and desperation to go onto anything else. "It's not something that you consciously think to do. When you walk, you just think 'I want to go over there' and move. When I use my power, I think 'I want to go through this wall' or 'I want to stand on this patch of air' and I do it. I imagine that it is much the same with you exorcists and your innocence."

I nodded. The rest of the ride, as we were on our final leg of the journey was spent in much the same way. I would ask questions on occasion and he would gleefully answer me. There were only a few instances where he didn't feel comfortable answering, but, all in all, he was very forthcoming.

Our arrival at the order was such a flurry of movement, argument, and various proceedings that it was mainly a blur. At first the top brass demanded Tyki's death, then they wanted to imprison him and torture him for information. I had to give a summary of what I had learned at one point and talk with panda jii-jii to convince him that having the Noah around would help us with our work. Once I got the old man on my side, we had to go through arguments to get the man under our custody and it was basically all a big mess. Finally, we got the news we were hoping for. (AN: I know I'm breezing through this part, but I have no idea how I would write all of these arguments and neither do I have the desire to write something so drawling, long, and roundabout.)

"Very well," one of the old bastards eventually, grudgingly, said. "This _Noah_" – he spat the word out like they were venom shall remain in your custody and aid you in your work. You shall take all responsibility should he turn on us."

"Yes!" I cheered, patting Tyki on the back. "Welcome to the Black Order!"

"Thank you," he said back softly as though unsure on how to react. I think that he was fully expecting to be killed. Feeling that it would be better to let him sort out how he felt on his own, I began to scan the crowd.

Neither the long black hair not the white hair I was expecting to see could be found anywhere. Strange. I thought for sure that as soon as they caught word that Neko and I had returned, they would have rushed to see the little girl. Now that I thought about it, as much as Allen wasn't fond of the other Noah, he would have surely stood up for Tyki once he realized that man really did want to help us take down the Earl. He would never just sit idly by when a good person needed help. I started moving as soon as I saw the white burette and the glint of light off of a pair of glasses.

"Welcome back Lavi," he said with one of his creepy yet somehow tender smiles that only he could pull off. "Congratulations getting another Noah to join us."

"Thanks," I replied in reflex before shaking my head and forcing myself to get back to what needed to be asked.

"Do you know where Allen and Kanda are?" I felt dread creep up on me and take hold as the scientist's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You mean they're not with you?" I shook my head no. "No one here has seen them since the day you and Neko left for your mission."

Knowing something was up, I grabbed Tyki and Neko as discreetly as I could and we made our way to Komui's lab. We took every precaution possible to make sure that no one noticed us. If what I feared was right, we needed absolutely no suspicion to be placed on us.

"So," the crazy, sister obsessed man began, sitting at his desk. He quickly took his serious stance with his elbows resting on his desk, his hands folded just in front of his mouth, and his face shadowed by his hat and bangs. "You're telling me that you haven't seen either Kanda or Allen since your mission began."

"No. I assumed that they were unable to get away from the Order to join us." Neko was looking between us confused, but it seemed that she knew something was wrong. Tyki kept a hand on her head, lightly petting her in a way to both comfort her and encourage her to stay silent.

"I gave them a blank check and vacation time to allow them to follow you. I know for a fact that Allen read what your destination would be and what your travel arrangements were. No one has seen hid or hair of them since. There should be no way that they didn't meet up with you." I tensed. There was only one answer as to why the two were missing.

"Unless someone stopped them." Without further ado, Komui had the blueprints to the head quarters out and was handing them to me. "Neko and I will look through the west side of the dungeons. Tyki, do you think that you could look through the east side and look for any hidden areas?"

The man nodded and took a quick look at the blueprints and made his way through the walls to begin his search. Hopefully the two would be okay. The whole order depended on them and I didn't know how poor Neko would survive without her precious Tou-san and daddy around.

(AN: I was thinking about stopping here, but I decided I wouldn't be that mean this time and that you all deserved more after how long I have made you wait.)

**Kanda POV**

I had lost track of how much time the moyashi and I had been trapped in the damn cell. I did know, however, that it been longer than was healthy for my companion. Our captors clearly knew nothing about how innocence, especially parasite type, affected its accommodator. Very little food in comparison to what the white haired exorcist needed to function was sent to us. Even only taking a few bites of my own food and giving him the rest did almost nothing to help him. What was surely over two, maybe three, weeks ago, we had to take drastic measures.

The only thing that we could think of that would have any chance of working was to have Neah take control of their shared body. Since he was a Noah, the innocence did not react to him very well. In fact, if the body itself was Allen's, the Crown Clown would probably had attacked the fourteenth. Instead, when he was in control, the innocence would become dormant, which gave them at least a small reprieve.

"Hey, Kanda," Neah said wearily. Even though him being in control helped, they were still extremely weak from the overall lack of nutrition and poor conditions within the cell. Trying to not think about how frail the normally strong teen was, I looked down to where he rested with his head in my lap. "Do you think that they'll let us out any time soon?"

"I don't know," I said, running my hand through his dirty, white hair. Had long had it been since we were allowed to bathe? Too long. Grime covered all of us from head to toe and was making the ill moyashi even worse. "Hopefully Neko and the usagi return soon and Komui notices that we never made it them."

"Yeah." I had to fight back cringing at the slurred way his words were starting to sound. If help didn't come or we weren't let out soon, there was a good chance that he wasn't going to make it. "You know, you make a really great dad for her."

"Thanks a guess." He snuggled further into my lap, nuzzling against my stomach. In any other situation, I would have found it almost endearing now that I was getting more used to having affectionate, physical contact with other people. Instead, it worries me all the more. He had never been so touchy before, and this change was obviously caused by how much of a daze he was in.

"She's been good for you too. I mean, she's all cute and happy and just what you needed to thaw out that ice heart of yours. You're great with her too. Being ally patient and caring and protective. That's one of things we love about you, you know." My hand stilled as I took a sharp intake of air. I couldn't have heard that right. Even if I did, he was delusional and didn't know what he was saying, right?

"Love?" I asked in a near whisper, unable to get anything else out through the shock. He nodded.

"Yep, love." I swallowed thickly.

"How long?"

"How long what?" My hands were starting to shake. Damn it, if he really meant what he was saying and that he and the moyashi really did love me, then there was a strong chance that, if we didn't get help soon, I would never be able to do anything to act upon it. Ever since he had helped me during the incident with Alma, my feelings had been changing for him. What had once been grudging respect had become a sense of genuine commandeer. When Neko entered the picture and he had been forced to help me with her, those feelings changes yet again. I now fully trusted the moyashi with everything that I was and I couldn't possibly imagine life without him.

"How long have you and Aren loved me?" He shrugged.

"Not sure. He realized it first tough around the same time I tried to take over this body last time. I think that was main reason he was able to stop me. He wanted to get back to you and Neko because he loved you two so much."

Everything went silent. I grew even more alarmed than I already was as I noticed his breathing for shallower than what could ever be normal. Worried as all hell, I shook him, calling out his name, but he gave no response. Just as I was about to really start freaking out and yelling for help hoping that someone would hear me, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye.

I snapped my gaze to it, cursing my lack of Mugen once again. As much as we needed help, the bastards who locked us up wouldn't be too willing to give it even with the moyashi slipping into a coma and dying. In fact, that was probably what they were hoping would happen.

I got the shock of my life when I finally caught sight of the intruder. It was Tyki Mikk, the Noah of pleasure. His head and shoulders were the only thing sticking through the wall as he looked at the two of us seeming almost as surprised to see us as I was him. Then, just as quickly as he appeared, he retreated and I could hear yelling though the wall.

"Rabbit! I found them!" he screamed down the hall. The yell was immediately followed by frenzied steps as, who I was assuming was Lavi, ran to where we were. The steps stopped just outside the door seconds before it was blown to pieces by his large black hammer.

"Allen! Yuu!" he yelled as he ran in as the dust was only just beginning to clear. He didn't stop until he was kneeling beside us, Neko and Tyki hot on his tail. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly. The sooner this chatting was done and they had freed the moyashi and me from our binds, the sooner I could get him to help and save him. "The moyashi isn't, though. He really needs a doctor."

"Okay. I'll have you out in a second." True to his word, the chains were broken shortly after and I was on my feet flying down the hallways to the infirmary with the white haired teen in my arms.

I crashed through the doors calling for help. Neko and the other two were right behind me. In the blink of an eye, the head nurse had the moyashi on a bed and was checking his vitals.

"Is daddy going to be okay?" my daughter asked, gripping my hand tightly. A pang went through my chest. It made me both happy and sad to hear her call him that. It meant that, if he survived and I was able to pursue a relationship with him, she would be willing to accept him as more than just one of my peers who helped look after her, but also meant that she loved him enough to be completely heartbroken should he die.

The next few moments where the doctors and nurses continued looking over him, ignoring all of our questions and placing him on several different kinds of tubes was pure torture. At last, the head doctor wiped the seat off of her brow and turned to us with a smile.

"He's severely malnourished and dehydrated. He's in a minor coma now and will need to be on fluids for a while but he should wake up soon and be fine." My knees buckled underneath me hearing that. I hugged Neko, more relieved than anything to hear that he would be okay.


	20. Chapter 20

**Allen POV**

I groaned, my head pounding worse than anything I had ever felt. My eyes stayed tightly clenched against the way too bright light that was burning them through my closed lids. Every muscle in my body felt ridiculously weak, and my stomach seemed to be trying to eat itself. To put it frankly, I felt like shit and almost wished that I hadn't woken up.

The only reason I could think of that I could feel so horrible was that another one of Komui's damn robots got free and ran me over. That couldn't be right though. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that we hadn't seen the mad scientist for weeks. Now that I thought about it, that little voice was kind of loud and was irritating the hell out of me. Why the hell couldn't it just leave me alone? Didn't it realize that I felt like someone was trying to slowly drill into my head?

_Of course I know that you feel horrible_, the voice groaned, sounding to be in just as much agony as I was. _We share a body, remember?_

Share a body? Oh yeah, that was Neah's voice. I must have been really messed up to forget about the Noah who had made his home somewhere in my brain. Finally, I remembered that I had limbs, so I draped my arm over my eyes, finally blacking out that damn searing light. Relief was instant, allowing me to think somewhat coherently again.

That's right, the damn top brass of the order ordered that Neko be sent out for her first mission. Komui sent Lavi with her and gave Kanda and me a blank check and told us to use our vacation time in a roundabout way of letting us go after the little girl to help protect her. Then we were captured before we could go through with it and put in that damn dungeon where they barely fed us. Well, that explained why I felt awful. My body must have been trying to devour itself in an effort to support my innocence.

It hit me then that whatever I was lying sure as hell wasn't the filthy stone floor of the cell Kanda and I had been in for who knows how long. Sure, it wasn't as comfortable as my own bed or even some of the beds in run down hotels I had stayed at during missions, but it was a considerably better than straight flagstone.

Finally, my curiosity became too much to handle, so I carefully uncovered my eyes a little bit at a time to allow them to adjust. Once my arm was no longer acting as a shield, I squinted my eyes open, blinded for just a moment before I was able to get a look at where I was. I almost groaned again as I realized that I was in the infirmary. Oh well, at least that meant that we had been found, which was good even if I did have to deal with the demon woman of a head nurse.

For a while, I just lay there staring at the ceiling, waiting for feeling to come back to the rest of my body. So far the only thing on my body that seemed to want to work was my left arm. The rest of me appeared to be giving me the bird and telling me to take a long walk off of a short pier.

After a while, the numbing feeling from being unconscious so long seemed to wear off enough for me to finally notice that there was something warm gripping onto me on my right side and some kind of breeze or something hitting me at regular intervals on my left.

I looked to the right first, as whatever it was clearly closer and, most likely a body. It was doubtful that whoever it was meant me any harm since they were cuddling into me and had a death grip on the stupid hospital gown I had been put in. My eyes instantly locked onto head of thick, wheat colored hair that belonged to the little girl that Kanda adopted and I helped take care of. I couldn't help but smile tenderly at her and lightly pet her head. She sighed softly and snuggled further into my side with a little smile, but didn't really stir.

Satisfied that she was okay and suitably comforted for the moment, I then turned to the left to investigate the puffs of air there were hitting the arm that contained my innocence. To my surprise, the little puffs I had been feeling was the light breathing of Kanda as he slept in the chair pulled up next to the bed I was in. He was hunched over, using his own arms as a pillow. His face was so close to me that it was a miracle that I hadn't whacked him when I moved my arm earlier. Knowing that he had to be extremely uncomfortable, I lifted my hand and placed it on his shoulder.

"Kanda?" I called, giving him a light shake. His brow furrowed a little, but he didn't react, so I shook him a little more forcefully. "Kanda."

At last, he let out a small grunt and sat up, wincing in discomfort as he straightened his back. I almost winced as well as I got a good look at him. To put it mildly, he looked absolutely terrible. His was paler than usual, his hair half fallen out of its typical ponytail and unkempt. There were dark circles around his eyes that could have rivaled the Bookman's.

"You look like a mess." The man stilled his stretch, cobalt eyes instantly fixed on me in shock. In a matter of seconds, though, they softened with what I could only guess was relief and he leaned back into the chair he was planted in.

"Like you're one to talk," he scoffed lightly. As he spoke, he began to try and untangle his hair tie from his long, midnight locks. "I could probably count your ribs. You barely have enough meat on you still to not be considered a sack of bones."

"True." I chuckled watching him still fighting his hair to force it to relinquish its corded hostage. Man was I happy that I didn't have such high maintenance hair. "How long have I been out?"

"A week." He let out a small grunt as the tie he had been fiddling with finally came free. Then he leaned over and pulled a bag onto the bed. After a moment, he had a brush in his hand and was trying to coax the large knots out of his hair. "Lavi figured out what was going on when he and Neko returned from their mission and Komui told him that no one around here had seen us all month. Luckily, they had Tyki to help, so it didn't take as long as it could have for them to find us. Another day or so and you would have died."

"Tyki?" I asked, feeling my eyebrows rise in shock. What was the Noah of pleasure doing in the order helping our friends find us?

"Yes. Apparently the Earl had his human friends killed, so they fought. From what I've been told, Neko and Lavi were there when it happened. Mikk saved her from a cave-in and was injured. While he was recovering, she told him about you and Neah. He decided that he would join us to stop the Earl. Once the others realized that we were missing, he used his ability to move through objects to search for us more quickly than the others could."

"So he's on our side now?" I looked at the slumbering child in awe. "What do you know? She can even melt a Noah's heart."

"Indeed she can." He finally managed to pull his hair up into its ever present ponytail. Once done, he simply let his arms fall back to his side, his hands resting in his lap.

The air became thick with some strange kind of tension as he simply stared at me. Those dark, blue eyes felt like they were boring into my very soul, searching for some hidden answer. To what, I had no idea. All I knew was that he seemed to be having some kind of inner battle, desperately trying to figure out if he should word his thoughts. Just when I thought that I couldn't take that intense gaze anymore, he made up his mind and spoke.

"Neah told me something very interesting just before you collapsed and we were found." I had to strain my ears to hear him.

_I did?_ the Noah said in my head, sounding confused.

"He doesn't remember," I said, knowing that the samurai couldn't hear the fourteenth like I could. Those dark eyes closed for a moment, the man's head shaking slightly.

"I'm not surprised. You were so weak from the lack of food and the exposure we suffered in the cell, that it was really more like drunken rambling than anything. I don't think he even realized what he was saying." Again, his gaze focused on me, sending a shiver up my spine. "That's why I'm asking about it now. I need to know if he meant what he said or if it was just something that he said while delirious."

"W-what did he say?" I gulped, a feeling of dread washing through me. His eyes locked onto mine, hands tightly clenched.

"He said that you love me." My whole body tensed as my mind screeched to an abrupt halt. It took only a few seconds for my brain to reboot and I was immediately screaming curses at the being living in my mind. He had no idea how lucky he was that he didn't have his own body.

_Oops?_ Was his only response. If I could have strangled him, I would have. What the hell was I supposed to do now? I was nowhere near ready to let Kanda know of the feelings I had been developing for him. What if he didn't share them? We were both taking care of a little kid together for heaven's sake. If he rejected me, then what would happen to her? He had already claimed her as his daughter and had every right to keep me away from the both of them if he wanted to. I could only pray that he didn't hate me!

"Aren," he said, the sound of my name being said so softly with that deep voice of his breaking me out of my panicked thoughts. I focused on him again. He didn't give his thoughts away, but there seemed to something about the air around him that felt softer than normal. "Please, Aren, tell me the truth. Is what Neah said ture? Do you love me?"

I looked at my lap, unable to handle that intense gaze anymore. Taking a deep breath, I decided to bite the bullet and just tell him. He deserved to know the truth. The only thing lying would do was hurt the both of us. Hoping for the best, I said one word.

"Yes." My answer was soft, but I knew he heard it. There was no other noise that could have possibly drowned it out.

Silence reigned supreme as he processed this. I didn't dare look up. My hands were softly petting Neko's hair to try and calm my heartbeat and I relished feeling her soft hair for what could be the last time. In a moment, her adopted father could rip her from my arms in disgust and forbid me from seeing her and being a part of her life anymore. Komui may have ordered that we both take care of her, but Kanda was her primary guardian. If anything, I was just the person who was there to answer any questions she had about her parasite type anti-akuma weapon.

I plum near jumped out of my skin as a large, calloused hand gently cupped my cheek. It easily moved me to where I was facing the dark haired man, looking him in the eye once again. A gasp escaped me at the tender look I received. I had only ever seen him look at Neko with such care and affection. My heart almost burst with happiness as he delicately lifted me to his chest as if I was made of glass and embraced me.

For a second, I couldn't help but tense at the unexpected contact. Finally, though, I near went limp and leaned into the other man's hold. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that he would hold me like this. His scent washed over me and there wasn't anything in the world that could have made me happier.

"I think that might I love you too." Correction, there _almost_ wasn't anything in the world that couldn't have made me happier. Even with how freaking awful I felt at that moment, I could have leapt with joy, climbed onto the roof of the order, and screamed my ecstasy out to the world. That would have involved no longer being surrounded by Kanda's strong arms anymore, though, and that wasn't an option. "I do know that I care about you and Neko more than anything, though. I don't think that I could possibly live with myself if anything happened to either of you."

I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled into his chest. He may not have flat out admitted that his love was the same as mine, but I could understand that. He wasn't very experienced with such emotions, so a little bit of doubt and confusion was to be expected. I could wait, though. Together, we could help him understand what he was feeling and, one day, he would be able to say those three words with certainty. I just knew it.

We pulled apart as a little groan rang through the room. Our eyes immediately fell to the little girl lying in the bed with me. She sat up slowly, rubbing her bleary eyes. Those beautiful emerald orbs snapped to awareness as they landed on me.

"Daddy!" she cried out, throwing herself at me and hugging me with all she was worth. I automatically wrapped my arms around her to steady her and keep her from falling over. It was then that what she called me sunk in. Tears of happiness fell from my eyes as I tightened my hold on her and buried my face in her hair. I was barely aware of Kanda sitting on the edge of the bed and held us, one hand running gently through my hair. Life was freaking perfect.


End file.
